The food traditions of the Barguzin Buryats in the 1940-1950s of the 20th century (based on the materials of field expeditions to Kurumkan and Barguzinsky districts of the Republic of Buryatia in 2012-2024)

The author presents the analysis of the field materials collected in the course of expeditions to the Kurumkan and Barguzinsky Districts of the Republic of Buryatia in 2012-2024. In particular, interviews with old-timers on alimentary traditions are described and analyzed in detail, the reasons for Barguzin Buryats transition to agriculture and inclusion of vegetable crops in their diet are revealed. For the first time the recipes for cooking dishes characterizing the peculiarities of Buryat nutrition and their names in the Barguzin dialect of the Buryat language are provided. In particular, the ways of cooking fermented dairy products are described in detail: dry cottage cheese "arsa", kefir drinks "khurenge" and "tarag"; dishes from grains, plants, soups, second courses, etc. The diet of the 1940-s and 1950-s is analyzed; the diet changed under conditions of war and famine and led to closer intercultural contact between the Buryats and their neighbors - representatives of other ethnic groups: Russians, Chinese, and Evenks. Additionally, it was established that despite the inclusion of vegetable and grain crops in the diet of Buryats, fermented milk and meat food remained a priority that was enriched with restored recipes of archaic dishes that were used during a period of shortage of flour and meat. Thus, the analysis of the historical and social reasons for the transformation of the food traditions of the Barguzin Buryats in the war and post-war period is presented. The author inferred on conservative character of the alimentary behavior (habits, traditions, rituals) that is subjected to various alterations under the influence of historical events and intercultural communications.