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Traditional Russian food is divided into winter and summer dishes.

Most of Russia lies in the area of a continental climate: usually it is very cold in winter, and hot in summer. Some of the dishes are quite heavy – for cold winter months, and some – are very light for hot summer days.

The second factor that defines traditional Russian food – it’s the holidays. Some of the dishes are every day food, and others are only served on holidays.

Are you sure you want to try traditional Russian food?

For example, Russian cuisine 10 centuries ago consisted mainly of grain. There were porridges, and the difference in porridges was in how fine grains were ground and in cooking methods – nothing more. And, of course, there were baked goods – different in their appearance and in their names, but very similar in composition. Add to this list mushrooms and berries from the forest; and for a prosperous household also poultry, meat and milk – perhaps, that’s it.

If we take the period of the Mongol raids – there was scorched earth and demolished cities. At that time people sometimes had to get by only on pig weeds. Even steamed turnip was a luxury. If people were not killed during the raids, they died in winter of hunger and cold.

If we take the Middle Ages, Russian cuisine was divided according to the estates system. SomeRussian rulers were supportive of traditional Russian food, and, for example, liked shchi soup. Other Russian tsars during feasts amazed overseas guests with crazy eastern luxury –their tables had products from around the world to impress. What to choose?

What to choose in Russia or in a Russian restaurant?

We have put together a list of 5 traditional Russian dishes, all of which although not a thousand years oldbut are recognized as representatives of traditional Russian food.

1. Russian pancakes with caviar. This is either a festive affordable dish – pancakes with red caviar, or royal luxury – pancakes with black caviar. There are many different pancake recipes, but be prepared that it is a very filling meal. Frankly, to taste real Russian pancakes, you will have to get invited to a Russian home. In restaurants you would usually find a pitiful resemblance of Russian pancakes. We cannot boast of any restaurant that serves excellent pancakes. Tip: if you add to your filling – red caviar – a little Russian sour cream, it will take it to the next level! But, of course, it is better to eat pancakes in cold months.

2. Russian shchi (cabbage soup)is an eternally Russian soup. There was an infinite number of versions of Russian shchi. Even a cooking method had a great impact on the taste of the soup. Shchi is often referred to and translated as a cabbage soup. But not a single cabbage soup canbe compared in taste with the Russian shchi. Shchi – was a common traditional food of Russian people at any time of the day. Having meat in shchi was a sign of prosperity. Many Russian tsars did not imagine an everyday or even a holiday table without Russian shchi. Even the smell of shchi in a house was a sign that all was wella household. Proper shchi is prepared in a Russian stove in a pot. Sometimes chefs in small cafes manage to cook shchi on a regular stove, but restaurants are still at a loss – they will serve a nice bowl of shchi but nothing more. The secret of this dish is not in its ingredients, but in the cooking technology.

3. Okroshka – is a cold summer soup, a bright representative of traditional Russian cuisine. This soup is prepared using bread kvass. Basically, it is a finely chopped salad covered with kvass. During lent, okroshka is made without meat. At first, okroshka feels a little sour to the taste (the taste of kvass), but many people who ever tasted Russian okroshka can no longer imagine having lunch without it on a hot summer day.

4. Pies – stuffing inside of dough. Pies are dangerous for a figure, but impossible to resist. There are savory pies – with meat, eggs and fish. There are pies with sweet fillings – with berries, jam, cheese, and fruit. Well prepared pies are not greasy or dry. Real pies should melt in your mouth.

5. Guriev porridge is a true aristocrat among porridges. Guriev porridge is a dessert dish, by the way. Finding it on a menu is not just luck, it is almost an incredible adventure, because making it is not easy. Guriev porridge was invented about two centuries ago. The recipe incorporates the basic traditions of Russian cuisine in making porridges. Guriev porridge quickly became widespread among royalty.  For example, Alexander III was very fond of Guriev porridge.

What didn’t make the “must try” list

Some well-known dishes we didn’t include on the list for several reasons.

Russian salad – even in five-star restaurants it is not cooked using the right recipe.

Pelmeni – this is a relatively recent Russian dish.

Borsch soup – this soup is more common in the southern Russian regions.

Medovukha – this low-alcohol drink made from honey is present in cuisines of many nations.

Russian vodka – because we stand for a healthy lifestyle.

Potato dishes – potatoes have just recently “sailed over” from the New World.

And remember, even if the taste of a dish from traditional Russian cuisine is a little different from the usual, a dish that was cooked from a heart is always verytasty!

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Russians in everyday life do not differ much from the people of other countries. At the same time, every person chooses their own menu for the day. We will only list some versions. In no particular order.

What Do Russians for Breakfast

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1.            Porridge – buckwheat, millet, rice, semolina , oatmeal, with milk and butter, some bread or a sandwich. And tea or, more rarely, coffee.

2.            Fried or scrambled eggs with sausage and a couple of sandwiches – with cow’s butter, cheese, salami – to taste. And traditional tea-coffee.

3.            Muesli or cereal with kefir , or with yogurt, or milk.

4.            Nothing.

5.            Nothing and a cigarette (there is such an option).

6.            An apple.

7. Russian cottage cheese by itself or with jam, or nuts, or raisins, or honey.

8.            What is left from yesterday’s dinner.

9.            Any main dish and tea or coffee.

10.          Russian pancakes cooked, for example, the day before. Filling to taste.

11.          Syrniki. For example, syrniki with sour cream and raspberry jam. And coffee.

What Do Russians Eat for Lunch

1.            Good lunch consists of salad, soup, main course, dessert and a drink.

Salad can be: green (greens only), vegetable (whatever the chef chooses), vinegret (boiled and chopped vegetables with a dressing), mimosa (fish salad), Olivier (a highly simplified version of it), meat salad.

Soup can be: vegetable, chicken noodle soup, milk and noodle soup , shchi (meatless or conventional – with meat), borsch, fish soup (using salmon or cheaper option – using canned fish), okroshka (cold summer soup), beetroot soup (also a summer soup), cream of mushroom soup, pickle soup, solyanka (a little spicy soup with smoked meat), pea soup.

Main course can be: beef stroganoff , chicken or meat in any form, meat balls, pelmeni , fish in any form, pot roasted meats, mushrooms, potatoes, vegetables, plov. The main dish is often accompanied by side dishes: potatoes, pasta, rice, barley porridge, vegetables – boiled, fried, steamed.

Dessert : ice cream, sweet pancakes, sweets, baked apple, a piece of cake or a casserole.

Drinks : black or green tea, coffee, water, juice, mors , lemonade. In summer – kvass .

Other lunch options are more modest.

2.            Pizza.

3.            Sandwich.

4.            Pies.

5.            Nothing.

6.            Tea and sweets.

What Do Russians Eat for Dinner

1.            Salad.

2.            Kefir or yogurt.

3.            Fruit.

4.            Vegetables.

5.            The main course – same as lunch.

6.            Sandwiches.

7.            Pizza.

8.            Sweets.

9.            Anything you can find in a refrigerator.

Russians are also fond of national cuisines of many countries – from France to Thailand, follow various diets, eat vegetarian and so on.

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Rise of Patriotism

After the victory over Napoleon’s Grand Army (he miraculously survived) in the Patriotic War of 1812, the revival of interest in traditional Russian cuisine began.

Foreign influence in the Russian cuisine was not completely lost, which was supported by French, who were taken prisoners.

The abolition of serfdom in 1861 strengthened the influence of Russian culinary traditions preserved by the peasantry on the food of the privileged classes.

Rethinking of the traditional Russian dishes began with the influence of Europe’s best chefs.

Territorial Expansion of Russia

Expanding Russian borders included in the orbit of the empire more and more new peoples, who brought their influence to the Russian food culture.

At that time, pelmeni, special kinds of pies, venison, salmon roe emerged.

Combining a large number of innovations, refined taste, unique products – Russian food culture became one of the best in the world.

The Bolshevik Revolution and the Soviet Period

After these historical events the impoverishment of the Russian table took place. Revolution, civil war, World War II – there were fewer products, and people who could cook something special disappeared.

At the same time, the borders opened for citizens of socialist countries have introduced some foreign innovations to the Russian culinary culture.

Since the second half of the 20 ^th century there was formed a set of dishes with carefully calibrated formulation that was good for health. The emphasis was on making dishes more nutritious and healthier. Nothing could distract people from “establishing socialism.”

Also, “averaging” of the Russian table led to the fact that, for example, ocean fish took solid position in the daily diet of the residents of mainland Russia.

Along with numerous public canteens, delis selling prepared foods (not to be confused with modern freezing – prepared foods were prepared on the same day), in families traditional Russian food culture was preserved. In particular, people still preserved food for the winter: pickles, pickled vegetables, salted or pickled mushrooms, jams, compotes.

Modern Russian Food Culture

Today you can observe two main trends in the Russian culinary culture.

The first is internationalism in the cuisine, a desire to try something unusual. There are fans of the Japanese, French, Italian and other cuisines.

The second trend is exploring the origins of traditional Russian culinary culture. Here we have opening Russian fine dining restaurants, and emergence of national Russian fast food chains (that compare very favorably in terms of quality and great tasting food to the world’s leading fast food chains), and the change in daily food rations towards the traditional Russian cuisine.

There is a developing trend that will make the Russian cuisine more and more known in the world.

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Russian cuisine is unique.

Russia is located between West and East. Russia’s huge territory with a lot of different peoples, diverse climate – from the extreme north to the subtropics, many different events that change people’s lives – all of that influenced the development of Russian food culture.

Food in Ancient Russia

Russians used to settle along river banks, on the plains. They engaged in farming, replenished their tables by hunting and fishing.

At that time dishes made ​​of flour, mainly rye, were popular. Rye, unlike wheat, can grow and ripen in the northern regions.

Other foods included cow’s milk, fish and sometimes game.

Christianization of Russia

With the arrival to the Russian lands of Orthodox Christianity, Russian food culture endured significant changes. Gradually, in accordance to church traditions, food was divided into non-vegetarian (meat, eggs, milk) and lent (bread, vegetables, fish, mushrooms).

Around that time, soups emerged, among which Russian shchi (cabbage soup) was the main soup.

Separation of Food into Farmers’ and Princes’

In Russia, the difference between peasant and the prince’s food was not particularly noticeable. It was rather expressed in the amount and availability of food on a table rather than its form.

With the emergence of privileged classes, on which a prince could rely, Russian food culture became different for different classes.

Boyar Table

Over time, people close to the princeincreased their influence. Prince received the title of a tsar, and those close to him became boyars.

Boyartable was a very long lunch, lasting several hours. Boyar table could have up to 50 dishes. But those were fairly simple dishes in terms of cooking technology.

Boyartable was decorated by whole roasted geese, swans, sturgeon, beluga, fruitbrought from the east.

The main efforts of chefs were directed at table decorations. These were gilded details, wrapping in gold foil, precise restoration of the original appearance of the animal. For example, roasted swans in their appearance were almost no different from the real ones.

Peter the Great’s “Window to Europe” Russian-German Empress Catherine II

Peter I was actively implanting European traditions. Catherine II continued his undertakings.

In reality, the innovations affected only the ruling classes. The peasants were allowed to wear traditional dresses and beards, and traditional Russian table also remained.

Russian food culture of the ruling classes, however, changed dramatically. It could hardly be called “Russian”. Foreign chefs, mostly European, were invited. Best chefs were lured from one noble family by another.

At that time, dishes made of minced meat – burgers – emerged.

Interestingly, among Russian nobility of that time it was common to be speaking French.

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Studen (Aspic)

Something jelly-like with pieces of meat and bright circles of boiled carrots? It’s all right – this is a typical Russian dish –holodets (aspic).

If you add some Russian – not sweet – mustard to holodets and eat it with black bread – it’s an indescribable feeling.

The right holodets can only be made after you boil beef feet for hours.

There is also a version with fish.

Milk Noodle Soup

It’s a very tasty soup that can quickly give you energy. Milk noodle soup is recommendedeating even by people who because of health problems cannot eat any other soup. A unique Russian dish.

Okroshka

Lunch on a hot summer day is unthinkable without a typical Russian dish – okroshka. A traditional okroshka is a cold soup based on Russian kvass. More than a century ago, another kind of okroshka emerged – based on kefir (Russian fermented milk product that has exceptional health benefits).

In addition to a liquid base, okroshka has chopped vegetables, such as green onions and radishes to make the soup a little spicy. If it is not the time of the Orthodox Lent, the soup can contain eggs, meat, and sausage. It is served with sour cream.

Russian Shchi

Shchi is a very tasty cabbage soup. The main difference between different kinds of shchi is not iningredients but in cooking methods. This is also the difference between shchi and other cabbage soups. Real shchi is cooked in a Russian oven – very tasty. Shchi is the main Russian soup.

Fermented Milk Products

This does not exist anywhere in the world. These are typical Russian products. Only in Russia so much dairy products are consumed. Russian dairy products are usually fermented and very, very tasty.

Fungi and bacteria, which are used for the preparation of dairy products, are very beneficial to human health. Even if you have serious health problems, digestive issues, low immunity – daily consumption of fermented dairy products will fix everything in a few weeks. The most important thing in fermented dairy products is their freshness. They should be consumed within 3 days from the manufacturing date.

Kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, fermented baked milk, varenets, bifidok –they are all incredibly tasty and extremely healthy. The only limitation is lactose intolerance.

Russian Salad – “Olivier”

Unlikely Monsieur Olivier knew about such an honor. Real Russian salad is not easy to make – it contains expensive products. Russian housewives instantly solved the problem of not having necessary ingredients. Now in Russia you can try as many version of Russian salad as there are housewives. This salad remains a must have dish on a holiday table.

“Herring Under a Coat”

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Mildly salted herring in spicy brine is almost raw fish. Yet herring is a very tasty dish by itself.

The dish “herring under a coat” is a typical Russian dish that you will not find anywhere else.

When making “herring under a coat”, herring fish is covered with several layers of salad. The top layer – boiled beets. Beet juice in a few hours penetrates saturates the dish. You get a real play of tastes – something salty, a little sweet and a bit spicy.

In the beginning it is difficult to get used to the taste of the dish, but once you try, you will want to eat it again.

Russian Salad – Vinegret

It is a rich Russian salad. For some reason, all vegetables are pre-boiled. Then you add pickles, herbs and a little vegetable oil.

“Yubileinoe” Cookies

Try a typical Russian sweet dish – “Yubileinoe” cookies with chocolate. Yes! This is best cookie you have ever tried in your life. The secret is in a well thought-out recipe and natural ingredients.

Pickles

Crispy, spicy, amazing Russian pickles. Many Russians believe that pickle is a mandatory snack to Russian vodka.

Pickle brine is a traditional Russian drink that will save you if the day before you got too carried away with a process of “testing” Russian vodka.

Russian Pancakes with Black Caviar

Russians love pancakes, and especially pancakes with fillings. Of course, many Russians never tried pancakes with black caviar. It’s too expensive. But almost everyone tried pancakes with red caviar.  This is a typical Russian food for special occasions.

In everyday life, pancakes with sweet fillings are popular – with cottage cheese, berries, jam…

Many people like pancakes with meat filling, fish, cabbage and egg, cottage cheese, sour cream.

Be sure to try typical Russian food – the taste of Russia.

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Russian Porridge

Porridge is the most popular Russian food. In Russia in the morning it is customary to eat porridge: buckwheat, oat, millet, semolina, rice. Porridge is cooked using milk. It’s especially nice to make porridge in a clay pot. Porridge gives you energy and good mood for a whole day.

Pies

Pies, buns, rasstegai – all of these are baked goods with fillings. The filling may be very diverse – sweet, fish, meat. The dough – unleavened, salty, sweet. It all depends on the taste of the chef. Pies are favorite food on a Russian holiday table, as well as on a grandmother’s table when her grandchildren come to visit.

Buns with different fillings

Pelmeni

Pelmeni is ground meat of different varieties with added onions and spices – stuffing of pelmeni. Then, the filling is wrapped in thin dough.

All you need to do is to boil pelmeni in water and serve with butter or sour cream –it’s very tasty and especially good in winter.

Pelmeni is a popular Russian food in the north due to long winters. Many housewives make a lot of pelmeni at once for a long period and then keep them in a freezer – it’s very convenient.

Shashlik

Shashlik are pieces of meat strung on a metal skewer and cooked over hot coal. This dish is rather a dish from the outskirts of Russia, a Caucasian dish. But in central Russia shashlik recipe was changed. Russians use vinegar or yogurt as a marinade for meat. Meat comes out exceptionally soft and juicy, and most importantly, after being marinated it is not demanding on the skill of the chef. That is why shashlik have become a popular Russian food for outdoor picnics. In Russia they say, “Let’s go for some shashlik.”

Sauerkraut

This dish is one of the traditional dishes that are stored for winter in Russia. Until recently, housewives used to chop cabbage in September-October, added to it some carrots or northern berries), worked it and stacked tightly in tubs under oppression.

Cabbage came out great. And it preserved all the vitamins, plus during fermentation it developed new vitamins.

Before serving, add some onion slices and a bit of sunflower oil – delicious.

Borsch

Borsch is a tasty soup with cabbage, beetroot and meat. It comes from the southern regions of Russia. Serve it with sour cream, roasted garlic rye bread –what could be better during Russian winter!

Russian Beer with Dried Vobla

Russian beer may not be the best beer in the world. But a combination of dried vobla and cold Russian beer –is a definite hit.

Dried vobla is prepared from fresh fish – fish is first held in a salt solution under a press, and then is hung in an open air where there is some wind. Once the fish is dry –this popular Russian food is ready to be consumed with beer. Fish may have a peculiar smell –don’t worry. Wash it down with beer. If dried vobla was properly prepared and properly stored, the smell is almost nonexistent.

Black (Rye) Bread

This is the bread, which is made from rye flour. A common popular additive to such bread – coriander –makes it the Borodino bread.

Today, many countries are starting to borrow a recipe for black bread – it is much healthierthan wheat bread.

Although wheat bread in Russia is quite amazing too!

The main thing – choose “factory” bread, because they still retain the old Soviet traditions of baking – only natural ingredients without any baking powders and other chemicals.

By the way, usually the most popular request from the Russians living abroad to the question: “What can I bring you?” – Is: “Get me Borodino bread.”

Bread Kvass

Kvass is a very pleasant drink for a hot weather. Kvass has a slightly sour taste and it perfectly satisfies your thirst. Good kvass has not one single flavor note, but creates a special, complete experience and gives you nice aftertaste.

Russian Tea

There are no tea bushes growing in Russia. But tea from India have found its place in Russia – hot tea is great to warm up in cold weather, and caffeine, which tea has no less than coffee, invigorates you during the shortage of sun in winter months.

Russian tea is called tea with lemon.

The main criterion: even if a dish seems unusual to you, it must be delicious!

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Teremok

A chain of Russian fast food Teremok is represented in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Soon Teremok will open in major Russian cities.

The uniform of the staff reminds of a Russian folk costume. They address customers in a respectful Old Russian way “Sudar”, “Sudarinya”, “What would you desire?”

What is delicious in Teremok?

Russian Hearty Pancakes

In Teremok you can try pancakes with nice fillings. All pancakes are baked on the spot. [When we were writing these lines, it seemed that we could smell a browned in a frying pan pancake in Teremok – and this is the best recommendation.]

Fillings: red caviar (there is also “double red caviar”), mildly salted red fish – salmon, sour cream, vegetable oil, Meat hero (minced meat, mushrooms and sour cream), pork, mushrooms and cream.

Pancakes with salmon

Tip: if you decide to try pancakes with red caviar, order some extra sour cream. The flavor of the dish will become nicer and softer.

Sweet Pancakes

In the Russian fast food chain Teremok there are some pancakes with traditional sweet fillings: honey, just sugar, cherry jam, and strawberry jam.

Like a memory of the Soviet past – pancakes with sweet condensed milk, manufactured in accordance with GOST.

There are several pancakes with experimental fillings.

Verdict on pancakes – it’s really amazingly tasty. It is unlikely that you will find more delicious pancakes. Judging only on stuffing, Teremok is still fast food.

Porridge

In the Russian fast food chain Teremok you can try buckwheat porridge with various flavors.

The menu has the famous Guriev porridge – a favorite dessert of the Russian tsars. Only it’s almost impossible to try – not available. A publicity stunt?

Verdict: a great opportunity to enjoy a very inexpensive buckwheat porridge. Weather you’ll be able to try Guryev porridge – is a very big question.

Soups

It’s hard to imagine that soups in a fast-food place could be great. To try a dish, to understand “what it is” – the Russian fast food chain Teremok is great, especially since the soups are cooked right here.

What you can try: borsch, mushroom soup, sorrel soup, pea soup with smoked meat, okroshka on kvass, meatless pea soup, trout soup.

Also in Teremok you can try Russian pelmeni.

Drinks

As for traditional Russian drinks. Teremok is not bad. Here you can try, or take to go, kvass, cranberry mors, birch juice, uzvar. From the Soviet past –Tarragon lemonade. Some soft drinks – mead and cider, and some hot drinks – Russian honey sbiten (with herbs), a drink based on honey-grass “Fireweed” and even a drink from chicory root – Russian coffee substitute with useful properties.

Teremokis a perfect inexpensive opportunity to try Russian cuisine.

Kroshka-Kartoshka

The main product of the Russian fast food chain Kroshka-Kartoshka is potato. And not just any potatoes, but specially selected large potatoes. Potato that has already become centuries ago a national food of Russia, in this Russian fast food chain is baked in foil. This cooking method preserves the health benefits of potatoes.

Next, you can add to your potato a variety of fillings. You get hearty peasant food . Worth a try.

Another interesting dish – sweet dumplings with cherry.

Also, in Kroshka-Kartoshka you can try black bread toast.

There are also several hot soups – borsch with fritters and chicken noodle soup.

Shokoladnitsa

Shokoladnitsa is a chain of coffee shops. If the worldwide coffee shops are just coffee shops, then Shokoladnitsa is rather Russian fast food. There are many Shokoladnitsa spots in Moscow and in 47 cities.

In order to explore the Russian cuisine you should get here … for breakfast (before 11 am).

What should you have for breakfast?

Syrniki with sour cream and raspberry sauce or honey. This is a very delicious dish of the Russian cuisine based on cottage cheese. It seems that the cold syrniki are even tastier.

Porridge – rice or oatmeal with fresh berries. Worth a try.

Traditional Russian granular cottage cheese with jam and fresh berries.

Every breakfast is complemented by a cup of freshly squeezed juice and fresh coffee or tea.

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Well, you absolutely have to try it, even if you will have to fly around the world to do that.

Venison

Boiled venison, venison broth, thinly sliced ​​frozen meat with salt –these are the main dishes made of deer. Venison has amazing properties (which could be easily verified, if you tried it). Venison was never fried, and when boiling it they tried not to overdo it too, so that the meat retained a little pink in it.

Deer Brains

They were prepared for newlyweds. Reality or myth –it is unknown, but legends speak of the hypersexuality of men who consumed this dish.

Prerem

The back part of the deer is cut into chunks and boiled. Cooked meat is then sliced ​​very, very thinly and mixed with warm melted deer lard. Then it is cooled. On top the dish is decorated with boiled bone marrow deer and then frozen. Prerem is a universal gift.

Rilkyn

It is a mix of fresh deer blood, pieces of deer lard, venison and a little flour for thickness. This dish was prepared before the beginning of serious work.

Montak / Mantak (First Chewing Gum)

Coastal Chukchi considered a delicacy fresh upper part of the whale skin with a layer of fat, which can be chewed for a long time.

Rilkeil

A special dish on Chukchi table. The contents of the stomach of a just slaughtered deer is squeezed out, to it added the blood of deer, deer fat, sliced ​​thinly gut of the deer, sometimes herbs, and boiled.

Kolobki or Tolkusha

This is one of the most favorite dishes in Chukotka.

Roots and bulbs of collected herbs are pounded, then you add boiled venison and seal oil. Form balls. The dish is eaten cold.

Kopalhem (Kopalhen, Kopalhyn, Kopalgyn, Kopalha, Igunak)

A caught seal or walrus are cut into large chunks with the skin (up to 80 kg) and is dug into the ground. The pit is preliminarily layered with plants that add flavor to the dish. In six months the dish is ready.

Kiviak

This is a version of Kopalhem. In this case, the seal is stuffed with freshly caught gulls (in their entirety). Some think that the gulls need to be plucked (wrong). In half a year the dish is ready. The digestive enzymes of the gulls digest not only gulls but the seal as well. If you forget about the smell (yuck!), the flavor of the dish resembles a strong gourmet cheese.

Secret Dish “Food for Lovers”

Take 300 grams of boiled brains of deer, two boiled eider eggs, generously add green shoots of the golden root (ginseng), and to taste –some wild sorrel and onions. Mix it all together and serve immediately.

Survival in extreme conditions of the North with a short summer and an endless winter created a special, unique Chukchi cuisine.

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Russian culinary historians come to a sad conclusion: many peasant recipesgotlost, despite getting widespread. The problem is that the authors of ancient books, which talked about Russian cooking, felt no need to write about the recipes of peasants. It was believed that peasant dishes were simple, and anyone could make them.

A set of Dishes on a Russian Peasant Table

Peasant table was not too diverse. Bread, cereals, soups and kvass, plus maximum –some vegetable and fruit preserves – that’s all that Russian peasant housewives could put on the table. All products on a peasant table were either from their own farms, or the gifts of nature: mushrooms, berries, nuts, honey, fish, game.

Baked Goods

Without bread it is impossible to imagine any Russian meal. This includes everyday meals ( rye bread ), ritual meals (church communion bread), and holiday meals ( Easter cakes ). During holidays people also ate a lot of baked goods: pancakes, cakes, pies, muffins, gingerbreads.

Porridge – Main Food

Several centuries ago, Russian peasants were making 20 kinds of porridge. Porridge is one of the most common dishes of a Russian table.

Many ancient peasant porridges still today remain staples on a Russian table – buckwheat, wheat, oats, millet. But groats porridge or toloknyanii porridge you will not find in modern cookbooks. To think that they were mentioned by the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin !

Russian Cabbage Soup – Shchi

Peasant soup was almost always called shchi , regardless of its composition. Every housewife had her own shchi recipe depending on the season and availability of products.

Kvass and Other Beverages

Kvass in Russia was considered not just a drink, but a healing potion. Everyone knew how to make it. It saved peasants from many illnesses, refreshed them in the heat, and helped to recover after hard work. Besides kvass, farmers also made fruit drinks, infusions, and in winter – sbiten – hot drinks made of honey and herbs.

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Russian royal feasts, known far beyond Russia, were accompanied by an incredible amount of dishes and beverages.

Russian tsarsloved festive meals and feasts. Some dishes of Tsars are impossible to try nowadays. But if we talk about everyday lunches and dinners, then the majority of Russian tsarswere relatively modest and preferred simple Russian national dishes.

A Feast of Feasts

Almost all of the products for royal tables were of Russian origin. From abroad were only wines (French, Greek) and fruits (lemons, figs, dates).

A list of dishes of Russian tsars today can impress even the most sophisticated foodie.

Feast of a tsar was not just consuming of food, but it was a whole performance. Guests were surprised by deer, swans, peacocks, cooked and served whole, beautifully decorated with fruits and vegetables.

Table Setting and Decoration of Dishes

For tsars’ tables only the most original and exquisite tableware was used. Gold cups and silver plates decorated royal tables for centuries.

The dishes were decorated masterfully, especially cold appetizers. Whole fish, pigs or poultry were elaborately decorated with fruit and vegetables (cucumbers, lemons, plums).

The food intended directly for a monarch went through a special selection process. Everyone who touched it had to try it – from the chef to kraychii – a guard of the tsar table.

Favorite Dishes of Tsars

On regular days tsars preferred fairly simple food. For example, the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich loved buckwheat porridge, and the first Russian Emperor Peter the Great ate a lot of fruits and vegetables from a nearby garden, while Russian Empress Catherine the Great preferred braised beef with sauerkraut , and Nicholas I – chicken (“Pozharskie”) meatballs, and Alexander III – Russian cabbage soup .

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Boyars were the highest nobility during the reign of the Russian Tsars.

“Boyars” ranks were granted by Russian princes and tsars only to the best of the best. These were not just rich and noble people, they were involved in making a lot of the most important state decisions.

Later boyar clansbegan to appear, who competed against each other for influence and power within the state.

At the same time, many boyar clans competed with each other in their thirst for money. Boyars often organized luxurious feasts that amazed with their abundance of dishes and ornate decorations of dining tables.

Boyars’ Feasts

Feast for a Russian boyar was nothing more than a way of showing off his influence and wealth. They invited the most distinguished representatives of the Russian society. Guests had to eat and drink a lot, thus showing their respect for the host. Almost all the dishes were eaten with hands, but spoons and knives were always on the tables. Guests drank in one gulp, because drinking in small sips was considered rude. Dishes served at feasts were much more expensive than those consumed by hosts in everyday life. There were always a lot of dishes – at least 50 items. They were served in the likeness of those that got served at the tsar’s table.

Tableware on the Russian Boyars’ Tables

In everyday life boyars used intricately decorated wooden tableware. But for their feasts they always had special silver tableware. During the reign of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich many started using tin spoons, forks, and knives. But, the same as plates, they were only served to the most honorable guests. The others ate with their hands from sharedplates. During the reign of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great Russian boyars served banquet tables with gold and silver tableware.

Everyday food of Boyars

Despite the grandeur of holiday feasts, everyday Boyars food was very close to traditional Russian cuisine. Most of boyars preferred simple food – Russian cabbage soup , porridges , meat and fish dishes, pies and buns.

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In old Russia, to make sauerkraut and soaked apples whole families gathered together.

Traditionally, the end of September – beginning of October was the time of soaking apples and making sauerkraut. Apples were picked, sorted and soaked. A few days later people chopped and shreddedcabbage to make sure that for the whole winter they had something to cook cabbage soup and bake pies.

Sauerkraut

In the olden days people used to make a lot of sauerkraut. To do this, they picked certain number of days and worked together. In ancient sauerkraut recipesthey used anise and sometimes raisins. Today, these recipes are rarely used. Today to sauerkraut cooks add cranberries, cowberries, apples and red pepper. The basis is cabbage, carrots, salt and a little sugar.

Cabbage is finely shredded; carrots are grated on a medium or fine grater. Cabbage is separately salted and then they add a little sugar; then it is kneaded by hands until the juice begins to emerge. Once cabbage is mixed with carrots, it is placed in jars (in the old days – in wooden barrels). It is placed there very tightly by trampling down. Jars with cabbage are left in a warm place for a few days. Cabbage is pierced by a wooden stick to the bottom of the container. Then cabbage jars are placed for a couple of days in a cool place for storage.

Sauerkraut can be eaten by itself. When you serve it, you can add a little vegetable oil. Sauerkraut is the main ingredient of the Russian cabbage soup. And it was also used as a filling for cakes and pies.

Soaked Apples

In some villages people still soak apples using old recipes and using for this purpose special wooden tubs.

Tubs for soaking apples are lined with scalded straw. Apples are layered on them, and each layer is covered by a layer of straw. On top of all layers you place a press. The best variety of apples for soaking was considered antonovka. In the old times apples were soaked in licorice root decoction, to which were added cloves and cinnamon. Or some people added kvass with leaves of currant, cherry and mint.

Over the centuries, sauerkraut and soaked apples have become the symbols of the Russian cuisine.

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Spring awakening of Mother Naturebrought new flavors into traditional Russian cuisine.

Russian spring began with Great Lent. It was the time of the most meager food consumption for the whole year. But after the Passover it was the time of feasts and fun, and Russian villages livened up in the beginning of working season.

Greens

In Russia people always ate all kinds of early spring greens: young onions, garlic greens, parsley, parsnip, celery. Using sorrel, goutweed and young nettles people cooked green soups. Even the remains of vegetable seedlings were used to make fresh spring soups. They were even called the same- seedling soups. During the Lent, all soups were made based on water or mushroom broth.

Lark Cookies and Kulich

Ritual dishes that were always cooked in Russia in the spring, also over time became its symbols. We say “Easter cake” or “kulich” – and we mean the great celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Dairy products and eggs were not consumed during the forty-day Lent in Russia. But Easter cakes and kulich are always prepared using lots of these products. Mandatory attributes of the holiday were colored eggs.

In addition, in Russia it was customary in the spring to make ritual pastry. Most often, this pastry was shaped like birds, and was called larks. In different regions there were their own traditions of baking and serving lark cookies. In Central Russia larks were the symbols of the coming of spring, and were cooked using lenten dough at the beginning of March.

Berezovitsa and Birch Juice

Spring always began with collecting of birch sap. It is known that it was consumed even by Scythians. Berezovitsa in ancient Russia was called a mild alcoholic drink made from the birch sap using a fermentation method. There were periods when collecting birch sap was not as popular. Berezovitsa too, over time completely disappeared from the Russian cuisine.

But today in all Russian supermarkets you can find natural birch sap, which you should definitely try!

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Fresh vegetables, greens, fruits and berries –this is the basis of Russian summer cuisine. Plus – river and lake fish cooked immediately after it was caught. And, of course, kvass – a very refreshing drink of our ancestors, without which it is impossible to imaginea Russian summer.

1. Okroshka

This liquid entree is always served cold. In its base is kvass, vegetables (cucumbers, green onions, boiled potatoes), eggs and minced meat. Dressing for okroshka is usually sour cream, mixed with mustard, horseradish and spices.

2. Beetroot Soup

Another cold soup is prepared similarly to okroshka, but in its basis together with kvass there’s also a beet broth and boiled beets. Most often young beetroot is used, together with tops. Also, to the beetroot soup you add cucumber, dill, celery, boiled egg and sour cream.

3. Fish in Sour Cream

It is especially in the summer when you catch lots of river and lake fish . It is prepared immediately, when it’s fresh. It’s lightly fried, then stewed or baked in sour cream. For such a method of cooking any kind of fish is suitable. Usually – perches, carp or young pike. Fried carp in sour cream has been a popular dish in Russia since at least the 9 ^th century.

4. Apple Buns

The filling of true Russian buns is always cooked. But apples, especially in the summer are the exception to the rule. Apples can be put into buns and pies fresh, without thermal pretreatment. Most suitable for this are sour and sweet-and-sour varieties (antonovka, anisovka and others). Apples are peeled, cut into slices and sprinkled with sugar or honey.

5. Russian Kvass

In the old days kvass used to be made using rye malt and fragrant herbs or juices. Later dry bread was used. Kvass is a refreshing soft drink tonic. It is known that it has been made at least since the 11 ^th century.

6. Mors

Mors drink appeared in Russia later than kvass, but became popular everywhere. It is a fruit infusion drink made of berry juice (cranberries, cowberries, blackberries, raspberries), diluted with water and sweetened with honey or sugar.

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Autumn is a time of harvesting, hunting, fishing, slaughtering cattle and storing food for the winter.

Autumn has been the most abundant season in Russia at all times. No wonder in the olden days people used to set wedding dates in autumn.

Time before the Lent

The whole three months before the start of the Advent in Russia were marked by finishing up harvesting and procuring products for the winter. At this time there are still lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs. Freshwater fish is still biting, and hunting for birds is active. Before the Lent and winter begin, the food should be as rich and varied as possible. This was facilitated by numerous autumn holidays, accompanied by abundant feasts.

Pumpkin and Other Vegetables

Pumpkin, carrots, cabbage… The list of autumn vegetables can go on forever. Everyone probably has his own vegetable symbols of Russian autumn. They may differ somewhat depending on the region, the tastes and preferences of local farmers. However, in all the regions with no exception autumn is an intensive procurement period. Roots and tubers were stored in cold cellars, onion and garlic were sun dried, and cabbage was fermented. By the way fermenting cabbage in some villages turned into a real festivity. The whole village gathered together to chop cabbage while talking and singing.

Game and Fish

Autumn has always been a season of hunting for birds. Ducks, waders, partridges, black cocks were the best catch of the season. It was consumed in large quantities, and was also procured for the winter by salting, curing or smoking. The same goes for fish. Autumn was good for carp, pike, perch, European carp, and catfish. In Russia fish was appreciated at all times, and it was expertly prepared.

Mushrooms

Of course, Russian autumn dishes are impossible to imagine without mushrooms. Mushrooms were always collected in large quantities and of different varieties. Theywere fried, stewed, added to soups, fillingsfor pies and pancakes. Mushrooms were also pickled and dried for the winter season. Every mushroom type was always procured separately and using a specific recipe.

Provisions for the winter were always supervised by the most experienced housewives.

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Russian winter table was in no way inferior to other seasons due to the talents and efforts of Russian women.

The features of the climate in Russia allowed farming only a few months of the year, and also contributed to the invention of new methods of food preservation. A long cold winter, accompanied by Orthodox Lent was not for ancestors a season of struggle and survival. Russian women could so skillfully store products and rationally allocate them that throughout the whole winter food was not only delicious, but also good for you.

Hot First Dishes and Drinks

A winter table in Russia is impossible to imagine without hot soups, cabbage soup and borscht. Before Christmas people mostly cooked light soups–using water with vegetables and cereals. Basis of a lent table was mushroom soup, cabbage soup and ukha. After Christmas, when it was permitted to eat meat, soups were made using a fatty meat broth.  At that time to the traditional cabbage soup were added rassolnik and solyanka. In winter, all first dishes were served only hot as they were aimed at warming up the body.

For a long time in Russia people did not drink tea. It was completely replaced by sbiten. These drinks were prepared on the basis of honey, herbs and spices, and always enjoyed while hot.

Porridge, Baking Goods and Meat

Porridge was the main course of a Russian table at any season of the year. Of each kind of grain people made several types of cereals and also flour. In winter a cabbage soup was served with stuffed pies. During lent fillings were made of vegetables or berries, and after Christmas –of meat and fish.

Winter meat eating started after Christmas, when the last “meat” cattle were killed. It was a time of feasting up until the beginning of Lent, which was contrasted with the most meager diet.

Stocking up

Russian winter caused the emergence of new, unique only to Russia ways of storing products.

The most popular way of storing products was pickling of apples, pears and berries. According to scientists, by their nutritional value pickled apples are on par with kefir and yogurt.

In many Russian villages there are still used ancient ways of storing products for winter.

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These dishes and beverages have been prepared in these regions for centuries, but for various reasons, they did not spread all over Russia.

Siberian Stroganina

In Yakutia, people have long eaten stroganina – slices of frozen fish or meat. The meat is cut (sliced) in long thin shavings immediately before use and only as much as will be eaten in a short time, because stroganina should not be defrosted.

How to make it. Live fish or fresh meat is kept at 30 degrees below zero for at least 10 hours. And that’s it – stroganina is ready. If it’s fish, they take sturgeon, white salmon, broad whitefish or whitefish. If it’s meat – beef or venison are used. Stroganina is ​​served with salt and pepper, as well as with spicy arctic seasonings: scurvy grass, wild garlic, watercress and yellow daylight.

Kalitki in Karelia

These Karelian open pies are always made from eight components – rye flour, water, curdled milk, milk, sour cream, butter, salt and fillings. They are stuffed with potatoes, barley, pearl barley or rice porridge. Elastic dough is rolled out and cut out in rounds or ovals. In the middle you place the stuffing and gather the edges in such a way that you could still see the stuffing on top. It is then smeared with a mixture of salt, sour cream and eggs, and baked for no more than 20 minutes.

Parenka in Ural

In the Urals parenka is served with meat or as a dessert. It is vegetables, steamed in their own juices, usually carrots, turnips, rutabaga and radish. First, they are cleaned and placed whole in a casserole dish. The dish is covered with straw, turned over and placed in the oven for a few hours. Just before serving, parenka is seasoned with salt, herbs and spices or sugar, raisins and honey.

Shangi in Siberia or the Urals

These traditional open yeast cakes even during the Soviet Union era retained their popularity in the northern regions of Russia. There used to be fast food spots called “shanezhnye.”

Stuffing for shangi could be mashed potatoes, porridges or cottage cheese. This pastry is very similar to Russian vatrushki, but, unlike them, is never sweet. Shangi are on average 20 cm in diameter, and most of it is stuffing.

Sushchik in Northwest Russia

Sushchikis small dried fish. In lakeside regions in the north and west of Russia there is a common harvesting method of drying small fish. It is then used to make fish soup. Suitable for drying are ruffs, perches and smelt. Fish is first cleaned, and then dried in a special camp oven right on the lake shore.

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