Food & Drink

Russian cuisine derives its rich and varied character from the vast and multicultural expanse of Russia. Its foundations were laid by the peasant food of the rural population in an often harsh climate, with a combination of plentiful fish, poultry, game, mushrooms, berries and honey. Crops of rye, wheat, barley and millet provided the ingredients for a plethora of breads, pancakes, cereals, kvass, beer and vodka. Flavourful soups and stews centred on seasonal or storable produce, fish and meats. Ancient Russian products such as caviar, smetana (sour cream), buckwheat, rye flour, and so on have had a great influence on world-wide cuisine.

Soups

Soups have always played an important role in the Russian meal. The traditional range of soups such as shchi, borscht, ukha, rassolnik, solyanka, botvin', okroshka, and teur' was enlarged in the 18th to 20th centuries by both European and Central Asian staples like clear soups, pureed soups, stews, and many others.

Russian soups can be divided into at least 7 large groups:

• Cold soups based on kvass (a mildly alcoholic beverage made from black or rye bread), such as teur', okroshka, and botvin'ya. The main ingredients are vegetables that can be mixed with cold boiled meat or fish.
• Light soups and stews based on water and vegetables.
• Noodle soups with meat, mushroom and milk.
• Soups based on cabbage, most prominently shchi.
• Thick soups based on meat broth, with a salty-sour base like rassolnik and solyanka.
• Fish soups such as ukha and kal'ya.
• Grain- and vegetable-based soups.

Main Dishes

Studen' (or Kholodets) - Jellied chopped pieces of pork or veal meat with some spices added (pepper, parsley, garlic, bay leaf) and minor amounts of vegetables (carrots, onions). The meat is boiled in large pieces for long periods of time, then chopped, boiled a few times again and finally chilled for 3-4 hours (hence the name) forming a jelly mass. It is served with horse radish, mustard or grinded garlic with smetana.

Katlyeti (cutlets, meat cakes), a Western European dish popular in modern Russian households, are small pan-fried meatloaves, not dissimilar from Salisbury steak and other such dishes. Made primarily from pork and beef (sometimes also from chicken or fish), they are easily made and require little time.

Pelmeni are a traditional Eastern European (mainly Russian) dish usually made with minced meat filling, wrapped in thin dough (made out of flour and eggs, sometimes with milk or water added). For filling, pork, lamb, beef, or any other kind of meat can be used; mixing several kinds is popular.

Pirozhki are small stuffed buns (pies) made of either yeast dough or short pastry. They are filled with one of many different fillings and are either baked (the ancient Slavic method) or shallow-fried (known as 'priazhenie). One feature of pirozhki that sets them apart from, for example, English pies is that the fillings used are almost invariably fully cooked. The use of chopped hard-boiled eggs in fillings is another interesting feature. Three typical fillings for traditional pirozhki are:

• Fish sautéed with onions and mixed with hard-boiled chopped eggs.
• Chopped boiled meat mixed with sauteed onions and eggs.
• Mashed potatoes mixed with eggs and sour cream.

Shashlyk is a form of Shish kebab (marinated meat grilled on a skewer) popular in former Soviet Union countries, notably in Georgia, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. It often features alternating slices of meat and onions.

Blini are thin pancakes (very similar to French crêpes) which are often served in connection with a religious rite or festival in several cultures. Blinis had a somewhat ritual significance for early Slavic peoples in pre-Christian times since they were a symbol of the sun, due to their round form. They were traditionally prepared at the end of the winter to honour the rebirth of the new sun during Maslenitsa. Blini can be made from wheat, buckwheat, or other grains, although wheat blini are most popular in Russia. They are slathered with butter and may be topped with sour cream or caviar, but never with two of them together on a same blini.

Syrniki are fried curd fritters, garnished with sour cream, jam, honey, and/or apple sauce.

Drinks

Mors is made of berry juice, mixed in different proportions with water, slightly fermented.

Curdle is prepared with raisins and is slightly fermented as well.

Cabbage juice (fresh, but more often sour, from fermented cabbage) is boiled with a small amount of sugar. These drinks do not keep long and are made in small amounts in household conditions.

Tea was introduced to Russia from China in the 17th century and in 200 years spread throughout the whole country, becoming arguably the most popular national drink. Black tea is by far the most popular type, but since 19th century incursions in Central Asia the knowledge and interest in green tea is slowly increasing. Today Russia remains one of the biggest tea consumers and importers in the world.

Although vodka is the drink to drink, local champagne is cheap and surprisingly good, although a little sweet.