Ancient jellied meat: a recipe for aspic from Kievan Rus.

How did this ancient dish, known during the times of Kyivan Rus, differ from the aspic we know today? For starters, it was prepared by simmering meat ingredients for an extended period to create a rich broth filled with natural collagen, allowing the dish to set without the addition of . The ancient draghli featured natural animal components rich in connective tissue (such as pig’s trotters, hocks, tails, ears, and skins), which contributed to the broth’s viscosity and its ability to set on its own. A key aspect of preparing this historical aspic was the long, slow cooking process, lasting several hours, to extract as many beneficial substances and collagen as possible into the broth. The ancient draghli were expected to be clear: the prepared broth was always strained to remove bones, , and spices. Cooked and other vegetables added during the cooking process were arranged with pieces of meat in bowls of draghli, garnished with , and served chilled and set with garlic.
Ingredients: water – 2 liters; lean pork – 0.5 kg; garlic – 5 cloves; gelatin – 30 g; bay leaves – 2 pieces; allspice – 4 berries; hot pepper (chili) – ¼ pod; white horseradish – 2 teaspoons; salt – to taste.
Preparation
Wash the pork, cut it into pieces, and remove any membranes. Place it in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cook for 3 minutes, drain the water, and rinse the meat thoroughly. Place the rinsed pork back in the pot and cover with clean water. Add allspice, bay leaves, and half of the peeled and crushed garlic. Cook on low heat for an hour. At the end of cooking, season the broth with salt.
Remove the meat, let it cool slightly, shred it into fibers, and distribute it into plates or individual molds.
Soak the gelatin in a separate bowl and let it swell for 10 minutes. After that, dissolve the gelatin in the hot broth, stir, and pour it over the meat. Once the aspic cools, place it in the refrigerator and let it set for 3 hours.

Life Hack

Before serving the pork aspic (which can have a calorie count of up to 350 kcal/100 g), it’s a good idea to prepare a sauce that neutralizes the effects of the fat: mix hot pepper with white and 2 cloves of minced .