Abstract
<jats:p>В ходе анализа географических, этнографических, археологических данных и полевых материалов автора исследуется питание аларских бурят, принадлежащих к группе западных (предбайкальских). Они расселены в черноземной лесостепной зоне Восточно-Сибирской равнины южного левобережного Приангарья, формировались в комплексном хозяйстве при оседлом образе жизни. Исследование подтверждает наличие автохтонного тюркского компонента в материальной культуре бурят Предбайкалья, оказавшего существенное влияние на формирование их традиций в целом. Анализ показал, что основными факторами, повлиявшими на формирование бурятской культуры, являются природно-экологический фактор (кормящий ландшафт) и мировоззрение местных жителей, обусловившее гастрономическую самобытность. </jats:p> <jats:p>This article examines the complex of dairy products, which among the Buryats is represented by the generalized term “sagaan edeen” (white food) and its cult. The topic of Buryat nutrition, in general, is insufficiently studied in regional ethnography. Additionally, due to existing landscape, historical, religious, and social characteristics that have defined the distinctive economic and cultural activities of each ethno-territorial group of the Buryats, there is a need for separate research into local cultures. The aim is to study the dairy cuisine within the nutrition system of the Alar Buryats, settled on the western periphery of ethnic Buryatia, and its sacred aspect. The work is based on the analysis of available geographical, ethnographic, and archaeological data, as well as the author’s field materials. For the first time, the main factors that determined the specificity of the dairy complex of the Alar Buryats, its cult aspect, as well as the spread of some products over a large territory, which have become symbols of Buryat national cuisine, are identified. Results: The dairy nutrition model of the local group is considered, reflecting its ethnic history, as well as the sacred component that arose under the influence of shamanic worldview. The conclusion is made that the regional component of the gastronomic culture of the sub-ethnos is defined by a high level of adaptation to the available resources.</jats:p>