Russian Black Bread

Russian Black Bread

　　   A large bread, also known as Russian Black Bread (列巴 is the transliteration of the Russian word for bread), introduced from Russia. Known as a unique specialty of Harbin, this large bread is round and weighs five jin (approximately 2.5 kilograms), making it the king of breads. It has a uniquely fragrant taste with a traditional European flavor. When freshly baked, the bread has a crispy crust and a soft interior, with a distinctive aroma that also keeps well, making it a convenient food suitable for all ages. The Qiulin brand Russian Black Bread follows traditional craftsmanship, baked for about an hour with the crust turning slightly charred and crisp while the interior remains soft and tasty. It is fermented with hops to give the bread an appealing hoppy aroma. The traditional triple fermentation process allows the dough to ferment fully, resulting in a unique and rich flavor.

　　   Culinary Features

　　   Russian Black Bread is the most distinctive specialty of Harbin and is hailed as the pinnacle of Harbin-flavored foods. The name "Russian Black Bread" vividly reflects the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures. "列巴" is the Russian word for "bread," and because of its large size, the Chinese character for "big" (大) is added at the beginning. Upon first seeing "Russian Black Bread," you’ll be amazed by its enormous size. The writer Qin Mu once likened it to “a bread as big as a pot lid” when he visited Harbin, referring to the century-old Qiulin Russian Black Bread. Its volume is even larger than half a basketball, with a standard diameter between 23–26 centimeters and a thickness of over 16 centimeters. The bread weighs 2 kilograms net, and its degree of fluffiness is denser than that of ordinary bread—it feels quite heavy to hold. Therefore, it’s common to bring this specialty as a gift from Harbin, where the gift is not only substantial but also deeply meaningful.

　　   Russian Black Bread is specially made by the Qiulin Food Factory. It is produced using the pre-store-and-back-factory model introduced by the founder of the Qiulin Company, the Russian businessman Ivan Yakovlevich Churin. This large bread has been baked for over a hundred years. Even today, with such a rich variety of food options, Qiulin's "Russian Black Bread" is still produced in limited quantities of 160 per day, yet it remains in high demand, which speaks volumes about its popularity. In Harbin, it’s common to see people lining up to buy either "Lidasi" sausages or this "Russian Black Bread." I really like the packaging of the "Russian Black Bread"—it used to come in white cloth bags, but now it comes in non-woven fabric printed with Russian-style patterns. Though simple and plain, it exudes a unique charm. In recent years, there has also been a more upscale boxed version, which looks a bit more luxurious but can’t match the authentic and rich flavor of the cloth packaging.

　　   Often, when friends visit, I buy "Russian Black Bread" for them to try this uniquely special treat. Occasionally, when I’m in the mood, I also buy some to enjoy at home—but it takes a careful tasting to truly appreciate its flavor. This bread, produced through a triple fermentation process and baked with hops and hard woods such as linden and oak, has a hard and chewy crust with a soft and fluffy interior. When savored slowly, you can detect the aromas of wheat, hops, salt, fruitwood, and lactic acid—fragrances that are truly intoxicating. However, the slightly sour taste might take some getting used to at first, but after a few tries, you might just grow to love that unique tangy aroma. One great thing about it is its remarkably long shelf life—it usually stays fresh for about twenty days without going bad.

　　   In Harbin, no other food is as internationally renowned as Qiulin’s "Russian Black Bread," nor has any other food remained fragrant across the city for a full century. For the city of Harbin, "Russian Black Bread" has long transcended the concept of mere food—it is a symbol, a culture, and even a witness and bearer of the city’s history.

　　   Cooking Method

　　   Ingredients:

　　   White flour   Whole wheat flour   Fresh yeast    Fine salt      Vegetable oil    Egg

　　   Instructions:

　　   1. Mix the two types of flour with salt evenly.

　　   2. Dissolve the fresh yeast in warm water, mix it into the flour, and knead thoroughly into dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 1/2 to 1 hour until the volume doubles.

　　   3. Take out the dough, place it on a floured surface, and knead lightly for about 5 minutes to form the bread dough. Place it on a baking tray (grease the tray to prevent sticking or line it with parchment paper), then let it rise for another 15 minutes.

　　   4. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Brush the surface of the bread dough with egg wash, place it in the middle rack, and bake for 15–20 minutes.

　　   How to Eat the Bread

　　   Russian Black Bread is quite large, about the size of half a basketball. Eating "Russian Black Bread" is different from eating regular bread—you shouldn’t just bite into a chunk. It’s best to slice it, warm it up in a microwave, spread some jam on it, and add cheese, or spread butter or caviar and add ham or sausage slices to make a sandwich. If you serve it with some Sibo soup, the flavor becomes even more authentic. You can also tear the bread into pieces and put it in soup or milk—it’s easy to digest, and its unique preparation method is very good for the stomach and intestines.

　　   Eating it with Harbin sausages is also a unique experience. Harbin sausages, originally called Soviet Lithuanian sausages, are transliterated as "Lidasi" sausages. This type of sausage has been in Harbin for nearly a hundred years. Because the sausage is dark reddish-brown in color, Harbin locals call it "red sausage." The main ingredients used in making red sausage include meat, casing (animal intestine casing, preferably from pig or cow small intestines), starch (potato starch is best), garlic, salt, and saltpeter. About half of it is lean pork, roughly a third is fatty pork, and sometimes lean beef is added, with the rest being starch and seasonings. The production process involves separating the lean and fatty meat, mixing them with salt and saltpeter, and curing them at low temperatures (10 degrees Celsius) for three days. The lean meat is cut into chunks for curing, while the fatty meat is cured in thick slabs with skin on, layered with salt. After curing, the lean meat is minced, and the fatty meat is cut into chunks, mixed with seasonings and minced garlic, and stirred into a filling. Then the filling is stuffed into the casing. After stuffing, the sausages are placed in a roasting oven and baked with wood or anthracite coal to dry and toughen the surface, enhance the firmness of the casing, turn the color red, remove the casing’s raw smell, and impart a unique aroma. The baking takes about an hour. Then they are boiled in hot water for half an hour. After boiling, the sausage casings are soft and moist with a light, dull color, so they are smoked. Smoking reduces the moisture content, dries the casing, gives the surface a shine, highlights the bright red color of the meat filling, enhances the appearance, and imparts a smoky aroma along with some preservative properties. Open flames must not be used—the smoking process takes 12 hours to complete.