On the basis of the Studio of National Culinary named after Yunus Akhmetzyanov, the World Day of Tatar Cuisine was successfully celebrated today. For the guests of the gastronomic festival, students of the Kazan Innovative University cooked traditional Tatar manti with beef and pumpkin according to the recipes of the legendary chef.

“To teach and feed people are two sacred missions that are always in demand. Cooking is a special sphere of human life, technology, science and art merged together. Today we have gathered not only to honor the memory of the great culinary specialist, but also to continue his work. Cooking is truly the wealth of any nation,” said Igor Bikeev, First Vice-Rector of the Kazan Innovative University.

Yunus Akhmetzyanov went down in the history of the Tatar people as a person who developed the traditions of the Tatar national cuisine and a researcher who stood at the origins of the revival of the hospitality customs of the Tatar people. He not only preserved the national cuisine, but also raised it to a new level. It should be noted that the recipes of many Tatar dishes and cooking technologies were developed by him.

“I would like to thank the University for honoring the memory of the culinary master. Yunus Akhmetzyanov created and passed on to his people a truly enormous culinary heritage. He revived about 500 forgotten recipes. Therefore, we are obliged to continue the work that he passed on to us and remember that the main thing is to cook with soul, ”emphasized the grandson of the culinary specialist Iskander Davidov.

The career of the great culinary specialist began in the most difficult years - in 1942. Already at the age of 15, Yunus Akhmetzyanov becomes an apprentice cook in a working canteen and at the same time studies at a culinary school. Having become a professional in his field, he begins to take care of the preservation of national dishes, collecting long-forgotten recipes from the villages of Tatarstan.

“Manti are very popular among the Tatar people. Traditionally, they consist of dough and filling, which can be vegetable and meat. Today we will cook manti with pumpkin and beef. The dough should be fresh, resilient and elastic. Following Yunus Akhmetzyanov's recipe, all the stuffing is cut into small cubes," Elina Maleeva, senior lecturer at the Department of Product Technology and Catering Organization, shared.

In the process of preparing one of the most famous Tatar treats, she revealed the secrets of preparing a traditional Eastern dish, and also told what is its main difference from the cuisine of other peoples. “Tatars never use pork in meat stuffing. At the same time, the dough is rolled out in a thin layer, and the filling is put in large quantities to make the dish juicier and brighter in taste,” Maleeva emphasized.

Guests of the Tatar culinary festival noted that such a treat can be prepared both for family celebrations and for meetings with friends, because manti can serve as a main dish and as an appetizer. Each of those present expressed gratitude to the organizers for the master class, and also noted that manti is a kind of pearl of Tatar cuisine.