Udmurt Institute of History, Language and Literature of the Udmurt Federal Research Center, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Izhevsk, Russian Federation, elvpopova@yandex.ru
ABSTRACT
Introduction: bread and pastry are an important symbol of culture and folk cuisine for the Finno-Ugric peoples of the Ural-Volga region, elements of meals and rituals. They have a producing symbolism and preserve their composition and archaic technologies. In this article, dedicated to the Finno-Ugric peoples, bread and bread-based baked goods are not only symbols of culture and folk cuisine, treats, elements of meals and rituals, but also have productive symbolism.
Objective: to determine the symbolic meaning and existence in the festive and ritual culture and in the cuisine of the Udmurt and Besermyan peoples of certain types of bread pastries flat-form made from unleavened and sweet dough.
Research materials: field ethnographic materials; written, folklore and linguistic sources.
Results and novelty of the research: the article presents for the first time the results of a study of traditional and simple types of bread in rituals, their symbolism, and data revealing the history of bread baking. Various pastries in the form of round thin bread made of unleavened and puff pastry dough are preserved in everyday, festive and ceremonial cuisine of the Besermyan and Udmurt peoples. They have a traditional composition and methods of preparation. Some festive pastries are made of dough colored with beetroot and carrot juice, or decorated by pressing out a pattern. The results of the research
have shown that these simple bread products are food symbols of holidays and rituals which symbolize prosperity. They are connected with the folk calendar and farming tradition and inscribed in etiquette norms as well as guest traditions. Due to their ritual purpose they have been preserved in the culture of Finno-Ugric peoples of the region up to the present day.

Key words: ritual bread, food heritage, food culture, folk cuisine, food symbols, Finno-Ugric peoples, Ural-Volga region, Besermyan people, Udmurt people