Nuggets, shashlik, restaurant-style dish presentation: what has changed in the menu for schoolchildren in the Vitebsk region
First of all, the principal of one of the most "densely populated" gymnasiums in the city, where over a thousand children study, noted that the new project has brought many positive aspects to the food service system. The timing of the first visit to the canteen, which seats 145, has changed: if earlier the children went for breakfast after the second lesson, now they go directly for lunch at 10:30 AM.
"By this time, schoolchildren have already managed to get hungry and eat the dishes now offered in the canteen with great pleasure, especially the new ones. In the first month, our two-week menu has already been changed twice, and we see the positive changes the pilot project has brought. We have overcome certain organizational difficulties in adjusting the schedule of the food service staff and duty personnel – both children and adults – so we continue to work under the new system and see what adjustments are needed," said Lyudmila Levkovich.
Fresh vegetable salads, chicken shashlik, poultry nuggets, cutlets with cheese, meatballs with an original sauce – these are just a few of the new dishes that have become popular with the gymnasium students. Nevertheless, conservative culinary preferences make themselves known. Mashed potatoes are still a favorite among children of all ages, and even baked potato wedges with cheese cannot yet replace them.
The gymnasium director noted that the students particularly appreciate having their opinions considered when composing the menu. Before the project began, a survey was conducted at the educational institution to determine which dishes the boys and girls would prefer for lunch. As a mandatory item, the students chose vegetable salads, which are now part of the main diet and are served almost every day.
A standard lunch for schoolchildren now looks like this: salad, hot dish, drink. Often, a dessert in the form of pastilles, marmalade, or a bun is added. "Our students prefer juices the most, and are cooler towards compotes. In general, we are not inventing anything radically new, but varying recipes within the limits of a student's permissible diet. New ingredients are added to familiar meat dishes. For example, children liked chicken cutlets with cheese. We experiment with cottage cheese casserole by serving it with sour cream, then with condensed milk, and we plan to introduce chocolate cream for it. Once, the gymnasium prepared potato casserole with meat; we plan to bring this dish back, modifying and supplementing it as much as possible," said Larisa Levkovich.
Initially, children left their feedback on the new menu, and the school administration summarized the results weekly to determine what the gymnasium students liked most. Young Vitebsk residents also appreciated the new dish presentation, which became more reminiscent of restaurant service – thin cucumber slices are beautifully arranged on the plate next to the cutlet and mashed potatoes. So to speak, pleasing both the stomach and the eye.
If younger students used to leave half of their portion before, now one can only envy their appetite. Despite the fact that the dishes have not changed drastically overall, almost all the boys and girls have joined the "clean plate club".
Second-grader Sofia Litvin said that the canteen menu has improved. "I like the cutlets, they have become even tastier, I liked the corn salad, there was nothing like it before. There are also many new desserts – yogurts, buns. The buns are especially tasty," the girl shared.
Her older classmates believe that school lunches have significantly improved and become more harmonious. "I like the current menu much more than before the experiment, it has become more diverse. We have been eating according to it for a month, and during this time, as far as I remember, the dishes have only been repeated once. All the students have been waiting for this for a very long time, you can say that a surprise awaits us in the canteen every day. I like how the dishes are combined now. Salads and juices go well with hot meals," believes seventh-grader Aviva Rogatnikova.
As it turned out, family culinary traditions only partially influence schoolchildren's preferences. Many children are spoiled by fast food, stuffed with flavor enhancers and various additives. It is not easy for proper nutrition to compete with such "competitors". So, it is necessary to adopt some menu items from fast food establishments, transforming them into permissible cooking methods. For example, the well-known nuggets in the school cafeteria are not deep-fried, but undergo gentle heat treatment.
"I really liked the changed menu. The chicken nuggets are great, and the cutlets are made with new recipes. When we filled out the questionnaire before the project started, I voted for salads. They are all tasty, I especially liked the one with sauerkraut, it's great that they are served regularly. I hope this variety will be maintained. As for the dishes I would keep on the menu, I vote for chicken shashlik, I could eat it every day," said Nikita Suslov, a 9th-grade student.
Tasty new items appeared not only on the lunch tables of the gymnasium students but also in the school buffet assortment. The ninth-grader noted the ready-made milkshakes, which were not available before. And in general, the choice of healthy snacks has become richer. The young man admitted that he had previously intended to refuse meals at the gymnasium, but now he likes all the dishes and will have lunch at the canteen every school day.
All the children said that they share with their parents what new items they managed to try in the school cafeteria. Moms and dads are happy that their children are now full and satisfied.
Larisa Levkovich emphasized that, overall, the children are satisfied with the new meal system and the variety in the canteen. The updated dishes are a hit, and the kitchen staff continue to monitor which menu items the boys and girls do not particularly favor, with the aim of excluding such components in the future. She also noted that teachers inform parents about the project's progress at every meeting. Furthermore, the gymnasium plans to organize a tasting of new dishes for adults so they can see how much children's lunches have changed and to compare the feedback from older and younger generations.
The pilot project also helped identify the main culinary issue for schoolchildren: fish. Young residents of Vitebsk, for example, are rather cool towards this source of beneficial vitamins and minerals. To somewhat mask the characteristic taste, the gymnasium chefs add chicken or pork to fish quenelles and cutlets. The head of the educational institution noted that they will work on this issue, as there should be at least one fish day per week.
It turned out that this situation is also characteristic of other schools participating in the pilot project across the country. Specialists from the main department for education of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee are communicating with their colleagues from other regions, and all of them observe that fish is not popular among the younger generation. Meanwhile, for a growing organism, this product is essential for harmonious development.
At other participants of the pilot project in the Vitebsk region – Gorodok Secondary School No. 2 and Dobromysl Secondary School in the Liozno district – the restructuring of the food system followed practically the same pattern.
Depending on the children's stay at the educational institution, lunch and afternoon snack are served here, as in Gorodok, or a second hot breakfast and lunch, as in Dobromysl. The reaction to the new menu has been closely monitored from the first weeks by everyone involved in the project. Unpopular dishes were excluded from the assortment and replaced with new ones or their recipes were modified.
Technologists of the Centers for ensuring the Liozno and Gorodok District Executive Committees, OJSC "Vitmil" in Vitebsk have developed 60 technological cards for new signature dishes for the pilot project, 47 of which are included in the two-week menus for schoolchildren. Since the beginning of the project implementation, the sample menus have been adjusted taking into account children's taste preferences. According to specialists' observations, it is sufficient to serve first courses in the school canteen twice a week; for younger schoolchildren, the portion of vegetable salad can be reduced so that boys and girls eat it completely, and thus add fruits or desserts to the lunch menu.
From February 1, the two-week nutrition menus will be revised, less popular dishes will be excluded, and new signature developments will be added. In general, as noted by the specialists overseeing this project, a certain core of dishes for the menu will be formed, which can be used as a basis for experiments. For example, the familiar meatballs will be served not with the familiar sauce, but baked under a cheese crust.
Specialists from the northern region – developers of diets and menu compilers, cooks, representatives of school administrations – are ready to share their experience gained during this project with their colleagues from other districts and regions, with all the nuances, from the harmonious combination of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to the necessary equipment for the school canteen.
"BELTA"