Cook Tyumen Merchant's Christmas Cheese Balls: A Historical Recipe

All sorts of treats for the Christmas table abound today, but a century ago the selection was not as plentiful. Back then, both wealthy merchants and ordinary townsfolk prepared the dishes themselves. Of course, the number and composition of dishes varied, but there was one common thing: cheese balls. About the curious story behind this tasty dessert and how to make it, 72.RU was told by researcher of Tyumen gastronomy and organizer of historical dinners Lydia Nosova.

From the Past — With Love

Lydia Nosova first heard about cheese balls from her husband«s grandmother. She said she made this treat for her children when they were little. Yes, the base is cottage cheese, but no heat treatment is required.

“When I learned about cheese balls, I thought: ‘How strangely they call cheesecakes.’ But it turned out they are completely different. Cheese balls are essentially frozen cottage cheese. In Soviet times, they were coated with chocolate,” says our interviewee.

Traditionally, cheese balls were made from fatty cottage cheese. First, it was mashed to achieve a uniform consistency, and honey was added. Less often — sugar, because it was expensive and sold in large ‘heads.’ The granular kind we have today didn«t exist a century ago.

“After that, sour cream was added, which probably can«t be found now: it was very, very fatty, yellow like butter. Now, instead, you can add soft butter. Raisins could be added or not. This mixture was kneaded well, rolled into balls or flat cakes, and frozen. And then given to children to gnaw on like ice cream,” continued Lydia.

A couple of years ago, Tyumen cheese balls were presented at the “Russia” exhibition-forum in Moscow, where they caused a real sensation. Now this ancient dessert is on the menu at several establishments in our city. Chefs, taking the original recipe as a basis, experiment: some like the cottage cheese to be grainy, others add whipped cream instead of butter — so the texture becomes more airy.

Caroling, a Coin, and the “Stingy” Merchant

Cheese balls are not without reason considered an authentic Tyumen dish: they appear in the memoirs of the famous artist Alexander Mitinsky. Once, when he was little, together with his brother Vsevolod, he went caroling. They decided to drop by the house of merchant Andrey Tektutyev.

Caroling is a Slavic rite: during Sviatki (the Yuletide period), Christmas, and New Year, people went from house to house performing congratulatory songs, for which the hosts gave them treats, and sometimes even money.

“As they walked, they talked among themselves: ‘Tektutyev is rich, probably he«ll give a whole ruble (about $0.01 USD at current rates).’ And so they came to him, sang one psalm. And then, at his request, a second one. Tektutyev rummaged in his pockets and gave them the smallest coin. They were upset, as they had tried so hard. And when they were already leaving, in the hallway they saw a plate with cheese balls. Vsevolod reached out, wanted to take one, but ended up taking the whole plate. Hearing someone coming, he quickly hid it under his shirt. And so, having stolen the cheese balls, they ran away,” continued Lydia Nosova.

The brothers didn«t come home right away: before that, they played with the kids in the yard and all together ate these cheese balls. And both said that their mother makes this treat much tastier.

“And when they came home, it turned out that Tektutyev had already reached the Mitinskys« father. He told him that his children had stolen the cheese balls, and demanded a whole ruble (about $0.01 USD at current rates) for them. Since it was holiday time, the boys weren»t whipped, only scolded,” she told.

Making Cheese Balls at Home — Instructions

Cheese balls are essentially frozen cottage cheese, which was prepared in winter when the frosts set in. In historical sources, they are most often mentioned as a treat for Christmas. They could also be offered during caroling.

“For making them, it«s best to take the fattiest cottage cheese. You can add honey (as was done before), sugar or a sweetener, any nuts and dried fruits. If desired, already frozen cheese balls can be coated with caramel or chocolate, sprinkled with nuts — it will become cottage cheese ice cream bars,” advises Lydia Nosova.

She found an old recipe, verified the proportions. A simple and clear instruction for preparing Tyumen dessert from the past is before you:

We suggest you learn something else incredibly interesting. For example, how the family of Tyumen merchant Kolokolnikov celebrated the New Year and how residents of our city marked this holiday a distant 100 years ago.