Mordovia (Republic)

The Republic of Mordovia is a place where two ancient peoples live - the Moksha and the Erzya. Both these and others have carefully preserved their culture and ancient traditions. One of the main ones is the worship of trees, nature and the forces of the universe. We can say that the Moksha and Erzya are Russian druid people. More details will certainly be revealed at the Museum of Mordovian Folk Culture in the capital of Saransk.

The most interesting local cultural custom is a dish named ‘Bear’s Paw’. Luckily, no bear is harmed in its preparation. And its name comes from an ancient legend: once Mordovian suitors, if they wanted to woo a woman, had to send her a fried bear paw as proof of their courage. This meant that the groom was strong enough to kill a bear. That being said, there are plenty of other dishes in Mordovian cuisine, including pachat (pancakes made with peas, wheat and buckwheat flour); kaymak (cheesecake with potatoes); chumary - Mordovian dumplings. The region even has its own kvass called poza (made with fermented beetroot mash) and its own mead - medovukha.