Rye couple
G a s t r o n o m y
Polugar Classic Rye
Polugar is a historical Russian grain distillate, called “bread wine” since the 16th century. In fact, Polugar is the grandfather of all Russian vodkas. Today Polugar is the most gastronomic Russian strong drink of all.
Polugar Classic Rye is the “pillar of the throne” in the collection of the Rodionov & Sons Private Distillery, just like rye itself has been the pillar of Russian cuisine for centuries. Polugar Classic Rye is the result of triple distillation of selected rye in real, recreated copper stills (alembics), after which it is cleaned with fresh egg white and birch charcoal. Mild, yet full-bodied taste is perfect for oven-roasted piglet.
In Cafe Pushkin, the piglet is cooked according to the traditional recipe — it is simmered in the oven for a long time so that the meat becomes soft and juicy, and the crust is golden and crisp. The farm pig prepared in this way is not served whole, but in portions, but the traditional sweetish "Russian" taste is preserved intact thanks to honey sauce and grain mustard. The piglet is accompanied by barley porridge with porcini mushrooms (in Cafe Pushkin it was modernized a little with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes). Barley is decorated with rye bread chips and sprinkled with bread crumbs soaked in unrefined sunflower oil.
Dmitry Tufanov, chef sommelier at Cafe Pushkin, emphasizes that Polugar is exactly the drink with which ceremonial dishes were served in the noble houses of Russia a couple of centuries ago, and there is a reason for this: cool (at least 14-16 °C, since served with a hot dish) Polugar Classic Rye with a mild taste perfectly sets off a juicy tender piglet. It is rye that creates an additional roll call between the drink and the dish. Piglet is garnished with chips made from Borodino (Caraway) bread, and their taste is fused with the sweet rye flavor of Polugar.
