Sbitenshchik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sbitenshchik (Russian: сбитенщик) was a sbiten' vendor (sbiten’ – a hot winter Russian traditional drink) in old Russia. The tradition began in 12th century.
The comic opera The Sbiten Vendor (Сбитенщик – Sbitenshchik) by Yakov Knyazhnin with music by French composer Jean Bullant, 1783, was very popular in 18-19th centuries in Russia. See the links: Fragments Comments.
[edit] Quotations
“On the lower floor there were shops with horse-collars, ropes, and cracknels, etc., and in the corner shop, or rather at its window, sat a sbiten seller, with a samovar of red copper, and a face as red as his samovar.” (Gogol, “Dead Souls”, 1837-1838, Chapter I)
