Bread - always revered in Russia - now has its own museum in St. Petersburg. Here you can try the baked goods of different ethnic groups. Our local correspondents have the story.

At the Museum of Bread in St. Petersburg, Russia, the breads of the Mari people, an ethnic group from central Russia, are on display.

More than 600,000 Mari people live in different regions of Russia. While Christianity has influenced them quite a bit, they've also kept many ancient beliefs and rituals.

Today, the Mari are sharing their traditions in a bread tasting ceremony. Like many ethnic groups in Russia, for the Mari, bread comes before all other foods. And Mari baking has its own unique forms and techniques. 

[Yuri Brutus, Mari]:
"Mari cuisine has its own special features. Puff pancakes consist of three layers of pancakes. Only Mari cuisine makes three layers. Also we have a 'Kravets' - it is a pancake pie - a traditional dish. All of these are traditional dishes".

There’s also a special way to eat these baked goods.

[Yuri Brutus, Mari]:
"It is not cut like bread. It is cut like this: you cut off the upper part - and then it is easier to eat like this, so it does not crumble. Here we have opened it".

This pie consists of different layers: meat, grains and onions. You can eat the pie with a spoon.

In less than five minutes there is nothing left, all the pancakes, cakes and sweets are gone.

[Visitor]:
"I have not tasted anything like this ever in my life. They are divinely delicious".

To bake breads and cakes like these, bakers use traditional Russian ovens. The Mari community has carefully preserved its baking traditions until today--and the world is that much richer for it!

NTD St. Petersburg, Russia