Belgian youth acquaints with   Tatarstan

September 01,  2020

On August 30, Tatarstan was presented to Flemish youth in Belgium. Business youth received with great interest  new information about the republic with powerful scientific and industrial potential. For many of them, the region on the border between East and West was a real discovery. Kazan is remembered as one of the sports centers in Russia, where the Belgian football team Rode Duivels (Red Devils) fought at the World Cup.

The leader of the public organization “Tatars of Belgium” Regina Valeeva spoke about the Tatars and Tatarstan, about the fact that these days in her capital, at numerous venues, festive actions are taking place on the occasion of “100-ste verjaardag van Tataarse autonome socialistische sovjetrepubliek” – this is how it sounds on Flemish is the name of the anniversary date of the TASSR. The Belgians themselves, pattering, stumbling and correcting each other, learned to pronounce this new combination of words.

Many questions were asked about the indigenous population of the region. Regina explained in detail that the Tatars are a people with a rich centuries-old history, as evidenced by  serious works of Tatarstan, Russian and foreign researchers. As representatives of the culture of the Eurasian type, they were in the zone of active contacts of the largest linguistic families and world religions, and being the western area of ​​the Turkic-Muslim world, they became a significant element in the chain of cultural impulses. At the same time, the Tatars for centuries did not dissolve among other peoples, but, on the contrary, preserved their richest culture and originality. Among those gathered there was a Belgian with roots from Iran, who calls his father nothing more than “babay”, and immediately recognized the Tatar headdress handed to him – skullcap – as a gift, traditionally embroidered by the bride for the future groom.

Most of all, the interest was aroused by the issues of obtaining a visa and direct flights to this region, amazing in its architecture and natural landscape, the opportunity to visit, at least for a long weekend, one day the places on the wide flood of the Kama and Volga. Skull-caps – gifts from the hands of Regina Valeeva, the leader of the “Tatars of Belgium” Union, became a symbol of participation in the culture of the ancient people who developed civilization back in the days when the settlement of Paris was created in a group on swampy soils. To get a national headdress, various games and competitions, humorous memes, and verbal charades were immediately invented.

The main dish of the Flemish festive menu that day was “Steak tartare”, the so-called “Tatar steak”. The recipe for  matured meat without heat treatment was left on Polish lands by Tatar warriors several centuries ago. During long campaigns, they created not only their own simplified formula for reliable weapons and uniforms, but also minimized the process of making the main protein food: pieces of fresh meat always “ripened” under the rider’s saddle. This meat was marinated in horse sweat, beat rhythmically, and was periodically turned over in parking lots. The Europeans quickly adopted the steak recipe, dragged it from under the saddles onto the plates, in memory of the Tatars, the founders of the recipe, gave it the name “tartar”. Today, the quality of the cooked Tatar meat that is elegantly served on the table indicates the status of the restaurant.

Lilia Valeeva, Brussels