Kulebyaka (ะัะปะตะฑัะบะฐ) is one of Russian cookingโs refined delicacies. Itโs also somewhat of a mystery to many, who know of it only from the works of great Russian authors such as Chekhov and Gogol. Chekhov, in โThe Siren,โ makes the dish sound sensual: ยซะัะปะตะฑัะบะฐ ะดะพะปะถะฝะฐ ะฑััั ะฐะฟะฟะตัะธัะฝะฐั, ะฑะตััััะดะฝะฐั, ะฒะพ ะฒัะตะน ัะฒะพะตะน ะฝะฐะณะพัะต, ััะพะฑ ัะพะฑะปะฐะทะฝ ะฑัะป.ยป (โThe Kulebyaka should be appetizing, shameless in its nakedness, a temptation to sin.โ) Gogol, meanwhile, gives a near-ridiculous recipe that stuffs everything and anything into the dish (see below).
Closely related to the โะฟะธัะพะณโ (pirog), the kulebyaka is typically known wherever the hand-held stuffed-bread pirog is known. However, the kulebyakaย is a much rarer find. The shortages of Soviet times helped to push the richer, more complex ะบัะปะตะฑัะบะฐ, known as a food of the aristocracy, off the menu. Inside Russia today, however, traditional Russian cooking from the pre-Soviet era is making a comeback. Thus, the ะบัะปะตะฑัะบะฐ is finding its sometimes-sensual, sometimes-near-ridiculous way back onto Russian dinner plates.
How It Earned Its Name
(ะะพัะตะผั ะพะฝะธ ะฝะพััั ัะฐะบะพะต ะฝะฐะทะฒะฐะฝะธะต?)
Pirogi, or pies, are a staple of Russian cuisine. Tasty and filling, the pirogย comes with a bready shell that is filled with just about anything โ savory or sweet. The word โpirogโ comes from an ancient proto-Slavic word โะฟะธัโ which referred to a feast or festivity, indicating that they were once regarded as a delicacy to be savored on special occasions. Today, however, they are a staple of the Russian diet and can be found in supermarkets, restaurants and cafes, sold by street-side vendors, and are frequently made at home.
The kulebyakaย essentially puts the โะฟะธัโ back in the โะฟะธัะพะณ.โ Whereas the pirog is generally made to be a self-contained, hand-held unit, the kulebyakaย is generally large enough to be cut and shared. Whereas the pirogย is often 50% bread to 50% filling, the ะบัะปะตะฑัะบะฐ is always dominated by its filling, often with a bread crust just thick enough to prevent the filling from breaking and spilling out of the shell.
The name โkulebyakaโ comes from the Russian word โะบัะปะตะฑััะธัั,โ which means โto kneadโ or โto sculpt; shape with the hands.โ The artistry of the kulebyakaย is usually immediately apparent. Whereas the pirog is generally a simple dish, with one ingredient in a simple package, the kulebyakaย is complex, often with multiple, layered ingredients in a decidedly large and artful bread shell.
Incidentally, kulebyakaย is often rendered in English as โcoulibiac.โ This is because it was, apparently, first introduced to many English speakers via the many French chefs who were brought to Russia in the 19th century and took the recipe back to France when they departed. The English word is derived from the French rather than the original Russian.
When and How to Eat Kulebyaka
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพ ะตััั ะบัะปะตะฑัะบั?)
Although kulebyaka is now making a comeback, it is still very much the delicacy it always has been. One is most likely to find kulebyakaย on banquet menus for weddings or corporate parties. One can also find it in a chain of inexpensive Russian restaurants called Shtolle. Shtolle, which has locations across western Russia, hangs historical pictures at all locations to create a somewhat old-time environment remembering tsarist times. It specializes in Russian pies โ both pirogi and kulebyaka.
Kulebyaka is nearly always a savory dish. It can be eaten as a main course (as is generally the case at Shtolle), but can also be eaten as side, or served with soup in place of bread. Kulebyakaย is served as slices from a usually rectangular but sometimes round loaf.
When served as a main course, the kulebyakaย will often have a dipping sauce such as bรฉchamel to accompany. If it is served as a side dish along with soup, it does not require any sauce.
Preparing Kulebyaka
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพ ะณะพัะพะฒะธัั ะบัะปะตะฑัะบั?)
The dish of kulebyaka can be made from nearly any savory filling and is always served hot. The most traditional fillings are fish or meat accompanied by such options as buckwheat, mushrooms, eggs, and spices. However, it can be filled with almost anything available. Traditional recipes for kulebyaka tend to make use of more expensive ingredients such as caviar and other delicacies such as those mentioned in Gogolโs description. During the Soviet era, for instance, โะบะฐะฟัััะฐโ (cabbage) became a common base in the dish when it was still made, replacing the more expensive fish.
In a classic kulebyaka,ย the fillings will be layered, sometimes even going so far as to separate the layers with a thin โะฑะปะธะฝโ (blin) to keep the flavors from mixing until a full bite melts together in your mouth. These layers are often layered vertically, but can also be side by side, pyramid shaped, or just about in any other arrangement, creating โpocketsโ of unique flavor. Simpler kulebyakaย recipes will mix the filling ingredients together. A common rule is that, no matter what ingredients are used, the quantity of filling should exceed that of the shell by at least 2 to 1.
Kulebyaka often have shells decorated in designs or shaped to resemble an animal such as a fish, pig or even a crocodile.
Letโs Cook!
(ะะฐะฒะฐะน ะฟัะธะณะพัะพะฒะธะผ!)
See below for a free recipe for kulebyaka. See also the free videos online. If you are interested in cooking from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and other places in Eurasia, make sure to see our other resources! You might also be interested in the following specialized cookbooks weโve enjoyed:
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ะัะปะตะฑัะบะฐ ั ะปะพัะพัะตะผ | Kulebyaka with Salmon |
ะะฝะณัะตะดะธะตะฝัั
ะะปั ัะตััะฐ:
ะะปั ะฝะฐัะธะฝะบะธ:
ะะปั ะณัะธะฑะฝะพะน ะฝะฐัะธะฝะบะธ:
ะะปั ัะธัะพะฒะพะน ะฝะฐัะธะฝะบะธ:
ะะปั ะฑะปะธะฝัะธะบะพะฒ:
ะะปั ัะพััะฐ ะฑะตัะฐะผะตะปั:
ะะปั ัะผะฐะทัะฒะฐะฝะธั ัะตััะฐ:
ะะปั ะฟะพะดะฐัะธ:
ะัะธะณะพัะพะฒะปะตะฝะธะต
ะกะฑะพัะบะฐ ะบัะปะตะฑัะบะธ
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Ingredients
For the dough:
For the filling:
For the mushroom filling:
For the rice filling:
For the pancakes:
For the bรฉchamel sauce:
For dough glaze:
For the presentation:
Preparation
Assembling the pie
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ย Excerpt From Dead Souls,
By Nikolai Gogol
Part 2: Chapter 3
ะัะธะณะธะฝะฐะป | Translation |
โ ะะฐ ะบัะปะตะฑัะบั ัะดะตะปะฐะน ะฝะฐ ัะตัััะต ัะณะปะฐ. ะ ะพะดะธะฝ ัะณะพะป ะฟะพะปะพะถะธ ัั ะผะฝะต ัะตะบะธ ะพัะตััะฐ ะดะฐ ะฒัะทะธะณั, ะฒ ะดััะณะพะน ะทะฐะฟัััะธ ะณัะตัะฝะตะฒะพะน ะบะฐัะธัั, ะดะฐ ะณัะธะฑะพัะบะพะฒ ั ะปััะบะพะผ, ะดะฐ ะผะพะปะพะบ ัะปะฐะดะบะธั
, ะดะฐ ะผะพะทะณะพะฒ, ะดะฐ ะตัั ัะตะณะพ ะทะฝะฐะตัั ัะฐะผ ััะฐะบะพะณะพโฆ
โ ะกะปััะฐั-ั. ะะพะถะฝะพ ะฑัะดะตั ะธ ัะฐะบ. โ ะะฐ ััะพะฑั ั ะพะดะฝะพะณะพ ะฑะพะบั ะพะฝะฐ, ะฟะพะฝะธะผะฐะตัั โ ะทะฐััะผัะฝะธะปะฐัั ะฑั, ะฐ ั ะดััะณะพะณะพ ะฟัััะธ ะตะต ะฟะพะปะตะณัะต. ะะฐ ะธัะฟะพะดะบั-ัะพ, ะธัะฟะพะดะบั-ัะพ, ะฟะพะฝะธะผะฐะตัั, ะฟัะพะฟะตะบะธ ะตั ัะฐะบ, ััะพะฑั ัะฐัััะฟโaะปะฐัั, ััะพะฑั ะฒัั ะตะต ะฟัะพะฝัะปะพ, ะทะฝะฐะตัั, ัะพะบะพะผ, ััะพะฑั ะธ ะฝะต ััะปััะฐะป ะตั ะฒะพ ััั โ ะบะฐะบ ัะฝะตะณ ะฑั ัะฐััะฐัะปะฐ. ยซะงััั ะฟะพะฑะตัะธ! โ ะดัะผะฐะป ะงะธัะธะบะพะฒ, ะฒะพัะพัะฐััั. โ ะัะพััะพ ะฝะต ะดะฐัั ัะฟะฐัั!ยป โ ะะฐ ัะดะตะปะฐะน ัั ะผะฝะต ัะฒะธะฝะพะน ััััะณ. ะะพะปะพะถะธ ะฒ ัะตััะดะบั ะบััะพัะตะบ ะปัะดั, ััะพะฑั ะพะฝ ะฒะทะฑัั ะฝัะป ั ะพัะพัะตะฝัะบะพ. ะะฐ ััะพะฑั ะบ ะพัะตััั ะพะฑะบะปะฐะดะบะฐ, ะณะฐัะฝะธั-ัะพ, ะณะฐัะฝะธั-ัะพ ััะพะฑั ะฑัะป ะฟะพะฑะพะณะฐัะต! ะะฑะปะพะถะธ ะตะณะพ ัะฐะบะฐะผะธ, ะดะฐ ะฟะพะดะถะฐัะตะฝะฝะพะน ะผะฐะปะตะฝัะบะพะน ััะฑะบะพะน, ะดะฐ ะฟัะพะปะพะถะธ ัะฐััะตัะพะผ ะธะท ัะฝะตัะพัะบะพะฒ, ะดะฐ ะฟะพะดะฑะฐะฒั ะผะตะปะบะพะน ัะตัะบะธ, ั ัะตะฝะบั, ะดะฐ ะณััะทะดะพัะบะพะฒ, ะดะฐ ัะตะฟััะบะธ, ะดะฐ ะผะพัะบะพะฒะบะธ, ะดะฐ ะฑะพะฑะบะพะฒ, ะดะฐ ะฝะตั ะปะธ ะตัั ัะฐะผ ะบะฐะบะพะณะพ ะบะพัะตะฝัั? |
โStart by dividing the kulebyaka into fourths. Into one of the divisions put the sturgeonโs cheeks and some viaziga (the dried spinal marrow of the sturgeon), and into another division some buckwheat porridge, young mushrooms and onions, sweet milk, calvesโ brains, and anything else that you may find suitable. Also, bake it to a nice brown on one side, and but lightly on the other. Yes, and, as to the underside, bake it so that it will be all juicy and flaky, so that it shall not crumble into bits, but melt in the mouth like the softest snow that ever you heard of.โ And as he said this Pietukh fairly smacked his lips.
โThe devil take him!โ muttered Chichikov, thrusting his head beneath the bedclothes to avoid hearing more. โThe fellow wonโt give one a chance to sleep.โ Nevertheless he heard through the blankets: โAnd garnish the sturgeon with beetroot, smelts, peppered mushrooms, young radishes, carrots, beans, and anything else you like, so as to have plenty of trimmings. Yes, and put a lump of ice into the pigโs bladder, so as to swell it up.โ |
Our Favorite Kulebyaka Videos
From a Russian cooking show called โะะฑะตะด ะฑะตะทะฑัะฐัะธัโ (a play on words from the Russian phrase โะพะฑะตั ะฑะตะทะฑัะฐัะธั,โ which means โvow of celibacy,โ with โะฑะตะทะฑัะฐัะธัโ meaning โwithout marriage.โ Thus, the name of show refers to โlunch without marriage.โ The host shows us how to cook a classic, three-layered fish kulebyaka. He comes across as perhaps more than a little sexist as a running assertion in the piece is that the kulebyakaย is an โabsolutely masculine pieโ that โshould never be touched by womenโs hands.โ However, the Russian is spoken slowly with a lot of pauses which helps with comprehension. The cooking steps are clearly shown which should make it easy to follow along at home as well.
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Vegetarian kulebyaka!ย The filling is a single layer with cabbage as the main ingredient. The spoken Russian is fairly simple and clear, but it also has English subtitles.
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Anti-vegetarian kulebyaka! A guy with a mohawk makes an extra-meaty kulebyaka.ย He has something of a strange accent, but is fairly easy to understand.
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