Ancient Rus' cuisine was developed in the 9th century and flourished until the 15th century. The richness of rivers, lakes and forests provided the Russian diet with a great variety of seafood, game and berry dishes. Porridge, however, has always been the national food of Russia, and it has accompanied Russians throughout their lives. Russians consider porridge as the "ancestor" of bread. There is a Russian proverb: "Porridge - our mother, rye bread - our father". At the beginning of the 10th century in the Rus' period there were turnips, cabbage, peas and cucumbers. They were eaten in different ways, raw, boiled, steamed, roasted, pickled and soaked. Potatoes became popular in Russia already in the 18th century, tomatoes only in the 19th century. Until the beginning of the 19th century there were no salads in Russian cuisine. The earliest salads were made of some kind of vegetable, hence the name cabbage salad, cucumber salad or potato salad. Later, the recipes for salads became more complex, made from various vegetables, with the addition of meat, which gave rise to new names: "Spring", "Healthy", "Sea Pearls". The 18th century was a new stage in the history of Russian society, when Peter the Great not only moved the capital closer to Western Europe and changed the calendar, but also made it mandatory to change many customs. From that time onwards, cooking stoves were introduced from the West, as well as pots, pans and spoons. The Russian table was filled with sandwiches, salads, pies and soups, fried dishes gradually increased, and delicious sauces, jellies, creams, mousses, and so on, appeared. When foreign dishes came to Russia, they were naturally combined with traditional Russian cooking, and gradually became Russianized and took on a Russian flavor. Since the spread of Christianity in Russia, Russian cuisine has been strictly meat and vegetarian. As a result of the strict observance of the annual Lenten period, a great variety of pasta, vegetables, mushrooms and other delicacies appeared. During this period no excessive entertainment was allowed, meat, dairy products, eggs and sugar were forbidden. The period of fasting was preceded by the festival or festival of meat-eating. This festival is not short, ranging from about 174 to 190 days per year.