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From Russia with food

Traditional Russian cuisine is rich and hearty peasant fare. A lot of weight is given to winter-proof root vegetables, stewed meat and fatty dairy products. The dark green herb dill (ukrop) is sprinkled in abundance on many dishes. Perhaps this can be attributed to the belief that this masculine herb promotes sexual potency and fertility. Here are the classics . . .

Bliny

Bliny (pancakes) are an indispensable part of Russia’s culinary tradition. Eaten in huge quantities throughout the year, any Russian restaurant has at least a few varieties on the menu. Bliny are typically served as an entrée with ham (vechina), caviar (ikra), cheese (syr), or as a dessert with vareniye (chunky, sweet fruit preserve), or honey (myod) and tvorog (sweet cottage cheese). 

Soups

Russians are big on soups, especially borshch. Actually, borshch is said to come from Ukraine. Borshch is chock full of beetroot, and shchi is full of cabbage. Both can be pretty tasty, or the most awful dishwater you've ever come across. Solyanka is a thick and salty soup. In it you'll find anonymous meat bits, chopped up olives, pickles and a slice of lemon. Ukha is a clear fish soup. For Russians, a soup is incomplete without a dollop of sour cream.

Salads

Everything here comes with mayonnaise, the national dressing. Olivier salad, the New Year’s salad, comes with potatoes, pickled cucumbers, carrot and spam ham. Mmm, sounds tasty? How about selyodka pod shuboy? This herring-under-a-fur-coat salad, which consists of herring, potato, beetroot and mayonnaise, wins the strangest name award.

Pelmeni Varenki

Pelmeny is a Russian dinner staple. The student’s favourite are little dumplings stuffed with meat. And very chewy meat it is too. They make a great winter snack and are the number one choice of your average Russian bachelor. Varenki are dumplings for vegetarians, usually filled with potato, cheese, cabbage, tvorog (that cottage cheese again), jam, or fruit.

Zakuski - Cold Table

Originally borrowed from Scandinavia during the reign of Peter I, it has been incorporated into the national cuisine as the classic first course. It includes little open sandwiches hor d’ oeuvres, pickles and smoked salmon – the jewel of the zakuski table is caviar, of course. Swallow them down with iced vodka.

Kholodetz

Congealed fat around a few scraps of fleshy meat, cooled and served in square slices. Enough to tempt anyone, right? It looks like dog food yet is enjoyed by Russians the country over, and they make a great show of cooking it up for special holidays like the New Year.
 
 

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