Russia is |
Peoples of Russia
Tati
The Tati (other versions of their name are Caucasian Persians, Transcaucasian Persians) are an Iranian ethnos. Versions of their self-designation (depending on the region) are Tati, Parsi, Dagls, Lokhidjikhon.
Language
The Tati speak the Tati language of the Iranian group of the Indo-European family, which has two dialects, the Southern and the Northern. The Northern dialect is one of the standard languages of Dagestan. The writing system is based on the Russian alphabet. Up to the 20th century, such non-Muslim ethnic groups as Mountain Jews, some of the Armenians and the Udins also spoke the Tati language. For this reason, the Muslim Tati, the Tati-speaking Mountain Jews and the Tati-speaking Armenian Christians are often classed as one and the same people following different religions. The Azerbaijani language is also widespread among the Tati.
Dispersion
Today the Tati mostly live in Dagestan and Moscow. Small groups live in different constituents of the Russian Federation (the Stavropol territory, Kabardino-Balkaria).
Traditional occupations
Agriculture, horticulture and grape growing. Also well developed were the artistic crafts (carpetweaving, metalwork, embossing incrustation). Tatis farmed mountain plots that were often hard to access, sowed rice and wheat, grew grapes, planted fruit gardens, grew vegetables. In Derbent they specialized in grape growing, many worked in fisheries or were craftsmen. Highland people valued them as skillful masters in currying leather.
Food
The Tati cuisine is diverse. Such dishes as hashil (liquid flour gruel), asido (flour khalva), pyutyuryuk (flour soup), byugleme (fish in aspic), giney (homemade noodles), yagni arusi (wedding soup with nakhut, onions and meat), dyushpere (dumplings), khoe-gusht (a dish consisting of meat with eggs) form the basis of the Tati diet. Also widespread are various types of pilaf, kebab and lulah kebab, gourme (a type of roasted meat), yapragi (stuffed cabbage leaves), dolma, osh kidui (rice porridge with pumpkins), etc.
