Tuesday 28 September 2021

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 28 September 2021 - T for sweets, holidays and Iberian ham

 Hello lovely ladies,

I'm actually on holiday at the moment and all I have is my iPad. So I hope that I will be able to write this and post it.

My postcard for today comes from Russia. It has some really yummy vegetables on it. It really looks like it could have come from our market. Our tomatoes look like that.

 

The person that sent the card is Anya and she writes that "everyone here is collecting harvest on their 'dachas'. A dacha is a small country house usually with a vegetable garden".

The stamp is impressive:

It is a painting by R.S.Khabirov (2013) called 'Chak-chak'.
This stamp is from a series Contemporary Art of Russia. 

The Contemporary Art series of postage stamps presents the artwork of modern authors who convey the atmosphere of new Russia, its identity and dynamism, demonstrates the techniques and approaches to creating paintings and sculptural compositions that are peculiar to our times.

Rashit Sultanovich Khabirov is a painter, Honored Artist of the Republic of Bashkortostan, a member of the Union of Artists of Russia. In 1977, he graduated. In his work, he follows the realistic traditions of academic painting, is considered an unsurpassed master of subject portraits, still lifes, landscapes. Participant of republican, all-Russian, international and foreign exhibitions, as well as the Paris World Autumn Art salons.

Here is a better image:

The painting features a samovar to keep the water hot, and a tea pot (or is it a coffee pot?) with some cup and saucers. The chakchak refers to a cone shaped sweet that is also on the table.
Chak-chak (Чак-чак) (chak-chak) is a dessert food made from deep-fried dough drenched in a hot honey syrup and formed into a certain shape, most commonly a mound or pyramid. It is popular all over the former Soviet Union. In Russia, chak-chak is especially associated with the Tatar and Bashkortostan republics, where it is considered a national dish. However, Central Asian nationalities such as Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz also lay claim to the dish… and it may have been originally taken from the Chinese. While the basic recipe is always very similar, how it is made differs from region to region.

Chak-chak is a symbol of celebration and hospitality. A whole made of many pieces, it symbolizes unity. Covered in honey, a natural preservative, it also lasts for a fairly long time – up to three weeks so long as it isn’t devoured quickly.
This is also my T-Party qualifier. Elizabeth and Bluebeard host this T-Party and all I need is a beverage. I'm not only sharing a beverage but also a sweet treat (chakchak).

My week has been good. The weather is still warm and sunny and hubby is having a break from his chemo. So we have decided to go on a little holiday. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful country and not from from us is the Cabo de Gata natural Park.
We have visited before and really like it. It is unspoilt nature. No hotels or nightclubs. In fact we are staying on a campsite and will be sleeping in our tent.



Here are a few places we have already visited (as I am writing this in advance):
Below is a restaurant where we had a lovely dinner right by the sea (a few years ago).

Our village has several ham producers. Or should I say ham dryers. Our ham is dry-cured and as the air is so dry here, apparently the climate is perfect for dry-curing ham. 
This is El Veleta on the roundabout to enter the village.


We mostly eat jamon serrano, but they also dry Iberian ham . Iberian ham is very expensive as it comes from a special black pig.

One of the ham dryers of our village holds a yearly ham-cutting competition. Cutting the ham is quite an art.


 It is cut in small slices and arranged on a plate:
I didn't actually attend but here are some photos from the local paper:





I don't know who won in the end, but I think they all did a fantastic job. Every plate is a work of art. 

That is it from me today. As I said before, I will schedule this and hope for the best.

Happy T-Day all,
Greetings from Andalucia (Cabo de Gata),
Hugs,
Lisca











19 comments:

  1. oh your life is so interesting and different from mine! The fried dough is delish in any form!!!I wonder if people pull pieces off and the one who pulls the one holding it up loses!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the stamp on that postcard. Wonderful assortment of photos.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love Iberian ham! Glad to see everyone with their masks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lisca the place looks beautiful. We saw a ham carving competition in Segovia a few years ago, it was amazing to watch how thin they can carve it. We eat Serrano too, we once won a ham, it lasted for months as none of our friends like it so we couldn’t give any away, I made lots of recipes with it though.
    Have a lovely holiday
    Jan

    ReplyDelete
  5. I hope your trip is a lot of fun!

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful and informative post Lisca-loved the pretty stamp too and the competition-pretty cool.
    enjoy your camping holiday-how fun!! hugs and Happy T Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely postcards and stamps. I have often had chak-chak by Russian friends here, and it is nice, but very sweet. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, take care and have BIG fun, hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  8. The views there are amazing! Those plates are works of art. I'd love to taste some of the ham. It's fun to be in a place known for a particular food. The tasting opportunities! :)

    Happy T Tuesday

    ReplyDelete
  9. Glad you were able to get away Lisca. That park looks wonderful. I hope you get nice weather and lots of walking in. Especially since sleeping in a tent in the rain is not fun. And that chak-chak sounds very sweet. Like a tiny bite would do. I have never heard of it and it is interesting to read about. But I have had jamon and seen the ham being held in that special holder. (I went to Barcelona many years back). Spanish ham is very delicious (and I am not even a big ham eater),but I can't tell which type we had. I want some now with some bread and cheese as it is lunch time. Smile. Enjoy the rest of your trip and hope you are having a wonderful T day. hugs-Erika

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's a really lovely postcard. I like how fresh the veggies look. And of course, that stamp is beautiful. It's certainly a great entry for T this Tuesday, Lisca. I enjoyed reading about the chakchak, too.

    I'm not a ham connoisseur, but that ham looks raw to me. It's plated beautifully, though. Thanks for sharing your postcard, the tea inspired stamp, your holiday, and those plates of ham with us for T this Tuesday, dear friend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful postcards and I loved seeing and finding out more about the postage stamps! Those plates really are works of art too - amazing 😀. Happy T Day wishes! Hugs Jo x

    ReplyDelete
  12. The stamp is gorgeous. Thank you for telling us about chakchak. The ham looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Loving the postcard and stamp. I enjoyed reading about that Russian treat.
    I have never seen ham displayed so beautifully. It is really sliced thin. I really love ham so this would be fun to see.
    Enjoy your holiday.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

    ReplyDelete
  14. I loved this post - I learned so much!!! I want to try something like that Russian dessert - I may try it this weekend! Who knew ham cutting was an art. Wow. Totally amazing! We just buy a ham, bake it and cut it in to large straight slices. I may have to get a bit more creative at Thanksgiving and Christmas (usually when we buy large hams). Ours are not dried - wonder where we could find a dried one here.....

    Thanks for sharing all this and your beautiful walk pictures too, Lisca. Happy T-day a bit late!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Chak-chak reminds me of Struffoli (Italian honey balls). My grandmother used to make them at Christmas. Piled on a plate and decorated with nonpareils. When I was a kid, I thought they were chickpeas and wouldn't eat them! 😺 The restaurant location is spectacular and I've never seen ham look so pretty. Happy T Day

    ReplyDelete
  16. Those tomatoes on the postcard look wonderful as does that Russian stamp. I love the chak-chak, I wonder how delicious it is. Enjoy your holiday, it looks beautiful where you are. Sorry for my lateness, have a sick kitty. Happy T Day! Elle/EOTC xx

    ReplyDelete
  17. I can not leave a comment. It won't take. I will try again. Enjoyed the card, the stamp and learning about Chak-chak. Happy T Day

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow that is a gorgeous card and stamp. It's always nice to learn something new about another country. Sounds like you are having a good time. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow! The description off that sweet treat had my blood sugar rising just thinking about it, pleased you put the veggies there first. What a great postcard and stamp. Glad you are having a break - camping sounds fun as long as the weather stays fine. It looks like a lovely area. I am guessing you will take some ham home with you. Hugs, Chrisx

    ReplyDelete