Is it true that the production of sprat to the Baltic countries transferred Beria for environmental reasons?

Some sources argue that the active release of one of the most famous Baltic products began after the decree of the Soviet party leader, who thus decided to save the nature of the eastern regions. We checked whether this information corresponds to reality.

In 2009, the premiere of documentary took place on the Russia TV channel film Director of Elena Pogogizhskaya "Kulebyak on a dictator. Gastronomic nostalgia "about food products of the Soviet era. Special attention in the tape was paid to the beloved conservation of millions of Soviet families - SPPROM. In one of the episodes, the voice behind the scenes reported: “Since the production of sprats caused some damage to the environment, in the 49th year, on the personal order of Beria, all sprout plants were taken out and concentrated in the Baltic states.”

In 2018, the general director of the Schilitsky Fisherman CJSC (Pskov Region of the Russian Federation) Sergey Mamontov spoke in more detail about this decision interview The publication "Sputnik Latvia." According to him, historically, sprats are a Russian product, but “in the mid-1930s, a German cook, who was studying in the Russian Federation (just like that.-approx. Author), took the recipe to Germany, where he launched production” and by the beginning of World War II, Bank of Shpl became a mandatory component of the soldiers of German soldiers due to high nutritional value and storage terms. But in the USSR in 1949, he continued Mamontov, found that the production of sprats negatively affects the environment, and on the orders of Beria the factories were transferred to the Baltic states.

Also, the online publication was reported about this story "Free press"And users on some forums.

Canned food “Sprats in oil” during the USSR was an integral attribute of the festive table, although to get a jar of real Latvian sprats under the New Year It was considered Great luck. Writer and journalist Ilya Ehrenburg I rememberedAs in 1950 he visited the Soviet embassy in London, where he was treated to Riga sprats and crabs: "It was a real feast."

At the same time, among the townsfolk there is no consensus on what exactly means the word “sprat” on the label: some insist that this is a specific kind of fish, others are sure that such canned foods with any smoked fish mean. In their own way, both are right. "Big Russian Encyclopedia" Determines Sprats as a kind of sea fish of the herring family, with five species: New Zealand, Muller, South American, Australian and European (with two subspecies - Baltic and Black Sea). At the same time, according to GOST, operating in the most part of the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union, “sprats in oil” are fish canned fish from pre -smoked smoke and vegetable oil of small herds: Baltic, Black Sea and North Sea subspecies of European sprats (alternatively called sprats), the Baltic herring (grease) and the ordinary wake. The last two subspecies to the genus of sprats do not relate.

Nowadays, in the Russian Federation, the lion's share of the production of sprot concentrated in the Kaliningrad region. In 2008, in the city of Mamonovo, where the fish conservation plant operates, even They set up a monument spls. However, the main part of the famous canned foods in the post-Soviet years nevertheless produced in the Baltic countries-in particular, Latvia stably with a large margin Leading In the production of canned sprot and Sardinell among the countries of the European Union. They were produced in Lithuania With Estonia. In November 2006, Rospotrebnadzor stopped The turnover of the sprats of Latvian production, as it found in them an increased content of carcinogenic hydrocarbons of a chainsaw. This ban lasted until 2008. In the future, the policy of prohibitions and messages continuedWooded by the sanctions wars between the Russian Federation and Europe. Arose in Latvian manufacturers Problems And with the European commission, which also monitored the implementation of the standards for the content of a chainsaw. However, despite the regular messages Russian media about the “closing of the last Latvian sprot plant”, this product is produced in the country and in Our daysand far from one enterprise.

But how were things in the middle of the last century? Indeed, according to the book of A. A. Makarov "Production of sprot"(1941), by the end of the 1930s, sprats in the USSR were produced at the plants of the Leningrad and the Leningrad Region, at the Kandalaksha can’s factory (Karelo-Finnish SSR), as well as in the area of ​​the Caspian Sea, in accordance with the habitat of suitable fish. However, we must not forget that the accession of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to the USSR was finally Designed In the summer of 1940, and therefore their products could not be taken into account in this publication. While the origins of this production in the region, according to site The Ministry of Agriculture of Latvia, dates back to 1890, when K.V.Mortensen established the production of products under the brand "Sprat in oil". This information confirms and a collection of labels found in 2010. Already in 1910, about 6 million cans of canned sprot were produced on the territory of the current Latvia. In the 1930s, in independent Latvia, the volume of exports of this product exceeded 900 tons annually, and by customers there were about 20 countries. Existing cerebral factory since 1882 Kaija (since 2011 - Karavela) was well known in the USSR, as evidenced characteristic "Slavy with its sprats" in the "Great Soviet Encyclopedia" of the 1950s.

Thus, the assertion of the appearance in the Baltic countries of the production of sprot only in 1949 is untenable. In addition, it is incorrect to talk about the elimination of this industry in the "mainland" part of the RSFSR by that time - sprats after the war were actively produced on Leningradsky, Ust-Luzhsky and other factories and plants. As we see, the main production was focused on the Baltic, and this has its own practical reason: the habitat of fish and perishable raw materials. As noted in the textbook "The economy of the fish industry of the USSR"(1966)," The extraction in the Baltic Sea of ​​Kilka and Salaki - excellent raw materials for the development of canned food "Sprat" - and caused that this type of canned food is produced almost entirely at the enterprises of the Western basin. "

As for Lavrenty Beria, we did not find any evidence of his actions aimed at transferring the production of sprat to the region, which was then called the Baltic states, especially considering that there was no transfer. Yes, in the aforementioned Mamonovo Kaliningrad region in 1949 appeared The fishing and canning plant, only it was an additional object, and not a replacement for anything. In addition, on the website of the municipality "Mamonovsky city district" It is said On favorable climatic conditions and the environment in a new place, which somewhat contradicts the thesis about harmful emissions. It is also worth noting that in the 1940s the environmental friendliness of production could hardly be a determining factor in the USSR. Also, nothing is known about the sprats mentioned by the director of the fish factory in ration German army In the second world.

Where did this whole story come from? In December 2008, the user of the Living Journal under the nickname Dejur (Dmitry Zhuravlev) published a large fast Under the heading "Sprats. Unknown about the famous ... ". It was a fascinating story based on a diary of a certain Karl Ivanovich Sipyagin (Google does not know about people with that name), the Communist and chairman of the collective farm Red Shplotets. The publication described how the Germans learned about Soviet sprats in the 1930s, talked about the introduction of them into the share of the German army, that the diameter of the spended jar in Germany exactly corresponded to the caliber of the army mortar, and, finally, about the “spat” boom in the USSR, which was helped by a special campaign train, which prayed for the middle band in Russia with a brigade of artists Leningrad operetta. It was also said about the decisive role of Beria in the transfer of the production of sprot to the Baltic states. The whole surreal story ended with the death of Sipyagin, who fell into the disgrace of the tram, which was allegedly ruled by the NKVD employee.

And in August 2009, Dejur published a new fast The next content: “A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to see the Dictator with a dictator. Gastronomic nostalgia through the Rossiya Cinema channel. The cinema is not very original, so I watched the consciousness until this was poured: "Since the production of sprot caused some damage to the environment, in the 49th year, on the personal order of Beria, all sprout plants were taken out and concentrated in the Baltic states." I have a good memory for phrases, especially if these phrases are invented by me. The fact is that half a year ago, in order of another attack of the wordobludia, I wrote a kind of fantasy on the topic of sprat, where I voiced such a "remarkable" fact. Interestingly, any of the creators of this culinary and cognitive film read that of my text entirely? ”

In 2014, Zhuravlev also I paid attention The fact that his joke was completely seriously reprinted by the “Free Press”. However, as we know, the work of art at that time already healed its life - having migrated first to the documentary, later it fell in an interview, which the director of the plant producing sprats gave the State Media. And this is despite the obvious satirism of the plot.

Photo on the cover: Wikimedia Commons

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