Тhe Reconstruction of the Traditional Peasant Diet of the Russian North according to Linguistic Data (with Reference to Oatmeal Dishes Names)

This article analyses names of oatmeal chowder, which were part of the traditional peasant diet of the Russian North and were valued as nutritious and easy to cook. The article is based on dialect material of Arkhangelsk, Vologda, and Kostroma regions. The author refers to published lexicographic sources, as well as to lexicographic files of the Russian North Dialects Dictionary and the Ural Federal University Toponymic Expedition. The ethnolinguistic research carried out includes a semantic and motivational analysis of the vocabulary, its areal characteristics, interpretation of folklore and action-based cultural forms. The author emphasises the peculiarities of cooking and eating oatmeal and highlights the main motivational models of this lexical group. The word дежéнь widely used in the Russian North in the meaning of “liquid flour dish” is an archaic form that has preserved its original semantics. The following features are reflected in the motivational patterns of oatmeal chowder nominations: the dish does not require cooking (сыровéга, суровéга), it is prepared from dry ingredients by kneading or beating (сухомéс, тяпу́шка, мятúшка), has viscous consistency (хлпа), is prepared with raw or cold water (сиверу́ха). The motivational models identified help clarify the etymology of such words as шуроéга (and other phonetic and derivational variants), шúпель, заепéря, птево, сиверу́ха, тóкра, etc.: most of the lexemes belong to the original Russian vocabulary; the words лу́да and тóкра are borrowed from the Finno-Ugric languages. The main ceremonial functions of dishes made of oatmeal chowder were related to harvest ceremonies (cf. хлпа ‘dezhen’, ‘celebration at the end of the harvest’): dezhen symbolised the harvest, satiety and prosperity of the coming autumn-winter period.