In the vocabulary of the Russian language there are many words that came from Eastern languages. One of the khanum. What does this term mean? It is worth understanding the question, especially since the given word has not one, but two meanings.
Hanuma: what does the word mean?
In the middle of the XIX century. humorous plays by playwright Auxentius Tsagareli were very popular in Georgia. The most famous among them is the vaudeville comedy about a resourceful matchmaker - Khanuma, first staged in 1882. Later, the play was translated into Armenian and Russian, and it was also filmed more than once not only in Georgia, but also in the Russian SSR. Thanks to the fame of vaudeville and the numerous films shot on its motives, for many it became a synonym for the word “matchmaker” the name of the main character - Hanuma.
The meaning of the word is another. Khanum or khanum is called a very tasty, nutritious and healthy dish of Uzbek cuisine.
The play by A. Tsagareli “Hanuma”: the plot
Having understood the term "khanuma" (which means), it is worthwhile to learn more about the play of the same name, and then about the dish.
In the center of the plot of the vaudeville Tsagareli is the attempt of the old and the Georgian prince Pantiashvili, who was walking all his fortune, to escape from ruin by marrying a girl with a rich dowry. To find a suitable candidate, the prince hires a matchmaker Hanum. She weds Pantiashvili the old maid Guliko, who, despite her ugly appearance and solid age, has a good dowry.
However, the matchmaker Kabato, who wants to marry the prince to the young and beautiful daughter of the merchant, intervenes. After Pantiashvili prefers the bride, married to Kabato, Khanum remains out of work. This means shame on her as a matchmaker.
But fate gives her a chance to do a good deed. It turns out that the young and very worthy nephew of Pantiashvili - Kote, has long been in love with the beautiful daughter of a merchant. The girl is also crazy about him. At the same time, neither the beloved guy, nor her father know about his noble origin, believing that he is a simple teacher.
Having conspired with the servants, Hanuma during the arrival of the prince, impersonates the merchant’s daughter, behaves vulgarly and defiantly. Seeing the "bride", Pantiashvili refuses to marry. Later, thanks to the intrigues of the matchmaker, he sees the real daughter of the merchant, who Hanuma gives out as Guliko. Having fallen in love with her, the prince dreams of marrying her and happily signs a prenuptial agreement.
The merchant, who did not know anything about all this masquerade, when he learned that Pantiashvili had refused his daughter, collected all his bills and now wants to demand payment of them, thereby ruining the prince. Finding himself in a hopeless situation, the old man decides to commit suicide. However, Kote "sacrifices himself" and agrees instead of uncle to marry the daughter of the merchant, because he is also a princely family.
During the wedding, the truth is revealed, but the prince who escaped from shame and ruin still has to marry 55-year-old Guliko.
Georgian film adaptations
The extraordinary popularity of the vaudeville Tsagareli led to the fact that with the development of cinema in Georgia he was filmed one of the first to be screened - in 1924 (according to other sources in 1926). This 70-minute silent tape almost completely repeated the plot of the original work with the only difference being that instead of heroes, the announcer read the text in Georgian.
A full-fledged black and white film based on the play “Hanuma” was shot in Tbilisi in 1948.
The painting was called "Keto and Kote" and was slightly different from the original. In particular, the daughter of the merchant was not called Sona, but Keto. In addition, more songs and folk dances were added to the film adaptation, from which the picture only benefited. It is worth noting that the tape was shot in two versions: in Georgian and in Russian.
Processing of the play by Georgy Tovstonogov
The popularity of Khanuma and its two adaptations prompted the Soviet theater director Georgy Tostonogov to adapt this work for production in the Russian SSR. In collaboration with Boris Razer and Vladimir Konstantinov , the text of the vaudeville itself was modernized, as well as complemented by the magnificent verses of Grigory Orbeliani and the music of Gia Kancheli.
As such, Khanuma was staged at the Bolshoi Theater at the end of 1972. The stunning success of this performance contributed to the fact that after 6 years its television version was filmed with the participation of the same artists. This is how the two-part comedy “Hanuma” appeared, which still enjoys spectator love.
Dish of uzbek cuisine khanum (khanuma)
This dish is very common not only in Uzbekistan, but also abroad, including in China.
They call it differently: khanum, khanuma, khanon, hunon, khanim and hunan. In fact, the dish in terms of composition and method of preparation resembles manti. Moreover, it is even prepared according to the same principle - steamed. However, the khanum differs from manti, as it is a steam roll made from unleavened dough with various fillings. Sometimes this dish is justifiably called a lazy steam manti, but still continue to be allocated as a separate dish.
Each city has its own tradition of cooking this dish. So, traditionally, lamb, potatoes and spices are used as a filling for hanuma. However, in Tashkent, it is customary to add carrots to the mincemeat, in addition to all of the above, as it not only diversifies the taste, but also slightly doughs when cooking.
Recipe
Cooking this rather substantial, and most importantly, very healthy dish is very simple.
The first step is to knead the dough, like dumplings or dumplings (boiled or filtered water, eggs, flour, salt and spices). Do not forget that the mass needs to stand a little (from half an hour to an hour) wrapped in cling film or covered with a clean kitchen towel. After this time has elapsed, knead the dough and roll it thinly on a floured board. As in the case with dumplings and dumplings, the principle works: the thinner the dough, the tastier the finished meal.
The choice of filling for the khanum is a matter of culinary preferences, as well as the financial capabilities of a particular hostess. In addition to the traditional combination of meat with various vegetables, you can make a vegetarian filling or use the usual combination of stewed cabbage with onions and mushrooms. By the way, khanum can be cooked without filling at all, in this case, before you roll the dough into a roll, you need to lubricate it inside with a thick layer of sour cream.
When the filling is selected and evenly spread over the rolled dough layer, it must be carefully rolled into a roll, from which to form a circle.
Khanum is always steamed, so it retains a lot of nutrients and vitamins. Many housewives in the kitchen have a special device for making manti and hanuma - this is the manty bowl or double boiler, in which you should cook the dish for ¾ hour or hour (depending on the filling). If there is no such unit in the farm, you can prepare food in a colander by placing it in a pan, at the bottom of which water boils, forming steam. From above, be sure to cover it all with a lid.
Before cooking, the bottom of the mantissa, double boiler or colander must be lubricated with oil (so that the roll does not stick), and the khanum must be sprayed with water from above.
Immediately before serving, the finished dish is cut into pieces and gracefully laid out on a plate in a semicircle, in the center of which is placed a bowl with sauce. By the way, sour cream sauce or homemade ketchup with garlic is traditionally served in the khanum.
Despite its non-Russian origin, the word "khanuma" over the years has become familiar not only to Russians, but also to Ukrainians and Belarusians. Perhaps in a few centuries, a dish with this name will become an integral part of Slavic cuisine, as happened with dumplings.