The meal in the Solovetsky Monastery from antiquity to the present day
The main attention is paid to the monastic meal XIX and XXI centuries: the Charter, the interior, and the lean-fasting food dishes. The sources used in the Charter of Solovetsky Monastery, hagiography of St. Zosima, Savvatiy, Hermann, St. Philip; memories pilgrims XIX and XXI centuries. The attitude to meals in the monastery is always subject to strict rules where the basic principle remains unchanged. Everything related to real and material life - including meals - shall come secondary after the spiritual life. Nevertheless, any food was treated as a gift from God and, consequently, the attitude toward food and its consumption was a ritual and accepted along with expressing gratitude to God. Any violation of the common meal rules such as conversations, laughter, and the like could be strictly punishable. Many cooking traditions have ancient origins. Meanwhile, monastery meals of the XIX and the XXI centuries are substantially different, which is proven by a comparative analysis and comparison of the texts (notes and memories of pilgrims and the monastery “menus”) of the different epochs. The article has cultural, historical, and ethnographic contexts.