Why to do this is a secondary question in our case. Although in any case, the goal is primary and good – at the initial stage of European integration to determine the degree of similarities and differences that are worth working on, as common cultural patterns are needed.
But back to the diet, for through the stomach runs the path. So, the diet of Kishinev people is dominated by bread (probably with butter), dairy products and eggs. The situation with meat is more modest, and with fish – even worse. Why is this so? Probably, there are not enough cattle breeders in the country (and they, unlike plant farmers, do not leave the farm even at Christmas according to the Christian tradition – next to their animals). And the sea is not close.
According to the data for 2024, the average resident of the capital consumed 86.8 kg of bread and bakery products. By the way, not so much – 238 grams per day. For comparison: in the European Union, the average annual per capita consumption is 57.4 grams per day (by the way, not so far from the norm of besieged Leningrad in the harshest winter).
However, the population of Kishinev lags behind the Europeans by the level of consumption of the “second bread”, i.e. potatoes: here 38 kg per year, in Europe – 90 kg per year. And how can one not recall the tradition of New Year potato salad in Germany, as well as the popular potato pancakes, etc.?
Europeans also have better meat and fish, while Chisinau residents, as noted above, have worse. They have respectively 66 kg/year and 22,9 kg/year, we have 61,2 kg/year and 16,2 kg/year. But the residents of Chisinau have a much more developed tradition of egg consumption: 253 eggs per year against 190-210 – in Europeans.
We considerably surpass the Europeans in the consumption of vegetable oils – 9 liters per person for us and 4 liters for them. It is believed that the population of southeastern Europe in principle prefers fried food, and in the countries of Western Europe – boiled, because the inhabitants of the wealthier part of the continent are big fans of “healthy food”. Although, probably, the main thing is in the presence of a developed democratic tradition to choose (responsibly, without the right to make a mistake).
And then there are the sweets. Alas, sugar is harmful, and it seems that we know it as well as Europeans. Since in 2024, the residents of Chisinau were stuffed with it as much as 18 kg/year, while Europeans – 16-17 kg/year per capita. That is, we can reduce the consumption of “white crystals” by a kilogram or two. Moreover, we were promised snow on Christmas Day.
