ИСТИНА

The research is based on field materials (polling and interviewing) collected by the author in 2023-2024 in the Saransk, Kochkurovsky, Lyambirsky, Staroshaygovsky, Bolshebereznikovsky, Ruzaevsky districts of Mordovia, as well as in Moscow. According to the results of the poll, the majority of respondents noted the importance of national cuisine as part of the people’s culture. However, food is not the main factor in self-identification: less than half of the respondents perceive their identity through national cuisine.The dishes of these cuisines are associated with homemade healthy food made from local products, as well as with the "taste of childhood"(dishes cooked by grandmother or mother). Also, Mordovian meals are mainly associated with festive atmosphere.