RUSSIAN CUISINE

Okroshka

Okroshka is another refreshing summer dish, and an original one. Have you ever imagined to drink a soup made of Coca-Cola? I guess no. As you already know, the most popular drink in Russia is Kvac, a refreshing drink made from fermented cereals (liquid bread in a certain way). You will find in this soup cucumber, ham, radish, dill. It’s better consumed with sour cream.

Soushki

Soushki are another very old Russian dish. They form may make you think about beagle, actually they are quite close with one exception: they were cook two times. Made from weath flour, you can find dozens of taste, like vanilla for example. They are very popular for the tea time but you can also eat them in every moment of the day

Pelmeni

Pelmeni is the Russian dish that is most well-known abroad. It appeared in the Urals in the early 14th century. The very name "pelmeni" originates from a similar word in the Finno-Ugrish languages which, in literal translation, means "bread ear". Classic pelmeni use minced beef, lamb, and pork rolled in unfermented dough of wheat, eggs and water. Ready-prepared pelmeni are cooked in boiling, salted water. They are served with oil, mustard, mayonnaise or other dressings. The tradition of the entire family molding pelmeni dumplings stretches back over many generations. The larger the family, the greater the volume that is made. Part of the prepared pelmeni would be boiled there and then, the rest frozen

Pancakes

Pancakes is the oldest dish of Russian cuisine that appeared back in the 11th century. The recipe of one of the most famous Russian dishes is simple: milk, eggs, and salt, but the cooking process requires skills that not every housewife possesses. Batter is poured into a frying pan with hot oil, and the task of the chef is to bake a rosy flat pancake without lumps and not let it burn too soon. The thinner the pancakes, the higher the level of the cook's skill. The Russians say that the first pancake is always lumpy, which means that any undertaking usually begins with a failure. Pancakes are usually served hot with sour cream, butter, honey or meat, fish, vegetables, sweet, fruit and other fillings are folded in them. Pancakes with caviar is particularly glamorous dish

Borsh

Borsh soup is probably the most popular soup among all Russian soup. Every Slavic, and even regions have different ways to cook it. You may find in this soup beetroot (which gives the intense red colour) but also potatoes, onions, meat… To cook borsh you need to respect several steps and to have a lot of time available: the meat must be boiled and the vegetable cooked separately and had progressively. That’s why the easier way to savour it is to go to a restaurant where you will have the opportunity to eat it with Borodino bread, sour cream, green onion and garlic

Olivier (Russian Salad)

Just as the Americans find it hard to imagine Thanksgiving without the traditional turkey and the Italians a Christmas table without lentils and Zampogne, the New Year's table in many Russian families is inconceivable without "Olivier", known abroad as "Russian salad". Named after its creator – the French chef Lucien Olivier who worked in Moscow in the 19th century, it gained widespread popularity in the Soviet era. Its particular popularity is as much as anything down to the ease of preparation and the ready availability of all the ingredients. Classic Soviet "Olivier" included boiled potatoes and carrots, sausage, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, green peas and dill. All this was cut in small cubes and dressed with mayonnaise

Kvass

Kvass is one of the oldest Russian drinks, enjoyed by everybody from peasants to tsars. It is first mentioned in the chronicles in 1056. Before the end of the 19th century it was made as a low-alcohol drink (2-3 degrees) using rye malt with the addition of herbs, berry and fruit juices. Subsequently, kvass was brewed from ready-baked bread and ship's biscuits. Some Russians still like to brew kvass at home. The drink is very refreshing in the hotter months. It should be served chilled

Vinaigrette

This salad appeared in Russian cuisine in the 19th century. It is made of boiled beets, potatoes, beans, carrots and pickles and onions. All this is dressed with sunflower oil. It has an appearance akin to dry borsch

Aspic (broth jelly)

Aspic is a meat jelly. It is cooked from a dense meat broth with pieces of meat, the meat is boiled for several hours and then chilled. It is served cold as a starter