Russian Cuisine
Get acquainted with Russian traditional dishes!
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.
Olivier
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.
Vinegret
This salad appeared in Russian cuisine in the 19th century. It is made of boiled beets, potatoes, beans, carrots and pickles and onions. Some cooks add the brine from the pickled cucumbers or sauerkraut. All this is dressed with sunflower oil. It has an appearance akin to dry borsch. Salad is popular in post-Soviet states. Along with Olivier salad and dressed herring, vinegret is served as appetizer on celebration tables in Russophone communities.
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.
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.
Borscht
Borscht is a beet soup common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is typically made with using large amount of beets (normally sour beets), by combining meat or bone stock with sautéed vegetables, which may include cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. The compound of the soup can be varied depending on the preferences. It could be made with chicken or fish or be purely vegetarian. There is a range of recipes and each cooker looks for his own preferable one. Russian dinner usually consists of the salad, soup, second course, drink and Borscht is often chosen as favorite one because of its memorized taste and bright color.
Sushki
Sushki are traditional Russian small, crunchy, mildly sweet bread rings eaten for dessert, usually with tea or coffee. In general, it is common in Russia to buy already willing product in the supermarket as a snack. Typical ingredients are flour, eggs, water, and salt, which are combined into a firm dough. Then this is cut and rolled into thin strips of about half a centimeter thickness which are formed into rings, briefly cooked in boiling sugar water, then baked in an oven. The rings are generally about 3 to 5 cm in size. Sushki are sometimes topped with poppy seeds. Sushki are quite similar to other baked products such as bublik and baranka. Key difference consists in the size of each snack.
Aspic
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. It also may include eggs and seafood. Aspic jelly may be colorless or contain various shades of amber. In Russian it is called kholodets derived from the word kholod meaning ‘cold’. In some parts of Russia it is also called studen’. The dish is a part of winter holiday celebration such as the traditional New Year’s meal.
Okroshka
Okroshka is a cold summer soup of Russian origin and probably originated in the Volga region. The classic soup is a mix of mostly raw vegetables (cucumbers, radishes and spring onions), boiled potatoes, eggs, and a cooked meat such as beef, veal, sausages, or ham with kvass (summer beverage) or buttermilk (kefir). Okroshka is usually garnished with sour cream (smetana). Okroshka is always served cold. Ingredients are diced and then mixed together with kvass or buttermilk. Sometimes ice cubes are added to served portions to keep the soup cold in hot weather.
Dressed Herring
Dressed herring, colloquially known as herring under a fur, is a layered salad composed of diced pickled herring covered with layers of grated boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots, beetroots), chopped onions, and mayonnaise. Some variations of this dish include a layer of fresh grated apple while some do not. A final layer of grated boiled beetroot covered with mayonnaise is what gives the salad its characteristic rich purple color. Dressed herring salad is often decorated with grated boiled eggs (whites, yolks, or both). It is one of the main dishes on the New Year’s table.
