{"id":1580,"date":"2019-10-01T17:15:28","date_gmt":"2019-10-01T17:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/russiable.com\/?p=1580"},"modified":"2024-01-06T12:10:35","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T12:10:35","slug":"russian-cuisine-gastronomy-restaurants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/russiable.com\/russian-cuisine-gastronomy-restaurants\/","title":{"rendered":"What do you eat in Russia? Typical dishes and Russian restaurants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this article I will explain what you can eat in Russia, what are the most traditional and typical dishes, as well as the drinks that accompany them. But I will not only tell you about Russian cuisine, but also the restaurants where you can try it, from local fast food chains to international renowned Russian haute cuisine restaurants.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Russian<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

1. RUSSIAN CUISINE: a kitchen mix that is difficult to define<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Russian cuisine does not have the international reputation that other cuisines have<\/strong>, but the truth is that Russia has a long and rich culinary history, with many influences from the cuisine of other Russian regions, former Soviet republics or French cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, Moscow and St. Petersburg are experiencing a gourmet modernization of their gastronomic offer. There are more and more haute cuisine restaurants that are gaining international recognition, and this attracts travelers wanting to try a meal out of the ordinary and the truth is that many diners return home surprised and very satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I travel to a foreign country, one of the first things I like to know is which is the typical food and drink of the place<\/strong>, which are the open hours<\/strong>, what is the usual tip<\/strong> to leave or what are the most popular local products<\/strong>, and manners<\/strong> at lunchtime. I also like to know the type of restaurants<\/strong> that I will find, both fast-food Russian chains and mid-range and high-end restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article I will tell you about all these aspects applied to Russian gastronomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Russians MANNERS at lunchtime<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

2.1. What meals do Russians cook?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Russians begin the day with a breakfast called zavtrak<\/strong>, which can take kasha<\/strong> (a kind of milk porridge and rice cereals or wheat semolina) or bread with butter. Some also have a stronger breakfast that includes sausages, eggs, bread, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second meal is the obied<\/strong> and is made at noon (about 1:00 p.m. or later) and is the main meal of the day, which includes starter, main course and dessert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last meal of the day is made from 19:00 hours, they call it uzhin<\/strong> and it is considered a kind of dinner, which usually does not include soup or dessert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most dishes are accompanied with rye bread<\/strong>. They are very fond of sour cream, called smetana<\/strong>, present in many dishes. As a starter they almost always have a soup and for dessert they are very fond of drinking black tea with lemon (which they drink at all hours) along with some candy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also use a lot of tvorog<\/strong>, a dairy product, made with whipped cheese, with a creamy and white texture, which is made with cow’s milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what about Russian caviar<\/strong>? There is red<\/strong> (salmon) and black<\/strong> (beluga, sturgeon or sevruga<\/em>). Regarding the latter, the best and most expensive is that of beluga, and you will only find it in fancy restaurants or in some stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At home it is normal to eat the red caviar, the economic one. In Russian homes it is taken on top of a slice of white bread and butter. It also appears in many dishes, such as blinis<\/strong> (similar to crepes). Black caviar, on the other hand, is reserved for special occasions (Christmas, special celebrations, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Russian<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

2.2. Russian cuisine tours<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want to delve fully into the gastronomy, some agencies organize gastronomic tours, so you can get to know Russian cuisine and local products better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a gastronomic tour is organized in Moscow<\/a> to taste the typical Russian dishes by visiting three restaurants. A gastronomic tour<\/a> is also organized to try the typical Russian products, in local markets such as the Danilovsky market<\/a> or a tour to enjoy the typical Russian drinks<\/a>: Russian vodka, Russian craft beer or Nastoika.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another option is to enjoy a traditional Russian meal in a centric Moscow monastery<\/a>, or even take some cooking classes with a local family<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, the possibilities are varied. Choose the one that best suits your tastes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Gastronomic<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

3. TYPICAL Russian Gastronomy DISHES<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

3.1. The starters: from Borscht to Russian salad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Soups<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A very peculiar and distinctive element of the Russians is that they eat soup throughout the year<\/strong>. It is almost always the first dish or starter preferred before any meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soups are rich and caloric, to fight the cold in winter. One of the most famous is the Shchi<\/strong>, made of potato, cabbage and meat. It also highlights the Borscht<\/strong>, which is also typical in Ukraine, but very popular in Russia, which has vegetables and beets that give it a very intense red color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also lighter soups such as Solyanka<\/strong> or Ukha<\/strong> (fish soup). But there are also cold soups like Okroshka<\/strong>, with vegetables, potatoes and Kvas.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Borsch\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Russian Food<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Salads can also open food. The Russian salad is called Olivier salad<\/strong>. Its name is due to the chef of French origin who popularized it. It is almost always part of the New Year’s Eve menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is another very popular salad called \u201cHerring under a fur coat<\/strong>\u201d, made with herring covered with potatoes, beets, carrots, eggs and mayonnaise.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Russian<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

3.2. The main meals: from Stroganoff to blinis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meats<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Stroganoff <\/strong>is one of the most typical dishes of Russian cuisine and you can find it in almost every restaurant. It is a meat dish with diced beef, accompanied with mushrooms, onions and sour cream sauce, served on rice or pasta.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Stroganoff<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Shashlik<\/strong> is a roast skewer dish that is very popular in Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its name varies by country: Mtsvadi<\/strong> in Georgia, Khorovats<\/strong> in Armenia and Khebab<\/strong> in Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Russians are very fond of making these skewers on outdoor barbecues in parks when there is good weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Russia, dishes with steaks and different types of stuffed meat are also very common.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Shashlik\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Fishes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As for fish, the Russians mainly take salmon, trout, herring and cod<\/strong>. The garnish of these dishes is usually with potatoes (boiled, fried or pureed). Also sometimes sour cream or smetana<\/em> is added.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Fish<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

They also take the Koryushka<\/strong>, small fish, typical of the seas of northern Europe and the mouths of rivers such as the Neva. They are taken fried, lightly battered and with sauces. It is a typical and essential dish in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Koryushka\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Pastas and patties<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This type of dishes usually likes both children and adults. First of all, I would highlight the Pelmeni<\/strong>, similar to ravioli and stuffed with meat (either veal, pork or lamb). They are accompanied by smetana or butter. In the English language menus of Russian restaurants, you may find them as Dumplings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another version of the Pelmeni are the Varenyky<\/em><\/strong>, which are larger and with other types of fillings: vegetables, cabbage, potatoes or mushrooms. They go with any sauce; you can even make sweets with cherry filling.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Pelmeni\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Golubtsy<\/em><\/strong>, or cabbage rolls stuffed with different products, are also very common in restaurant menus.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Golubtsy\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Also worth noting are buns such as pirozhki, pirogi or kulebiaka<\/em><\/strong>. They can be stuffed with cabbage, meat, fish or potatoes, but they can also be sweet (jam, apple or plums). They are often snacks and have different sizes. It is good to know the ingredients beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very popular are blinis<\/strong>, a kind of crepes that are served with butter, smetana, jam, honey, red or black caviar, even stuffed with meat, sweet ham, cheese, potatoes, mushrooms, apples, strawberries, etc, or with various mixtures.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Blinis\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Finally, to vary a little, I would recommend you try the Khachapuri<\/em><\/strong>, Georgia’s national food. It is a pizza bread dough stuffed with cheese, egg and other various ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Khachapuri\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

3.3. Desserts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Russians love desserts and therefore have a wide variety of cakes and sweets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prianiki <\/em><\/strong>are gingerbread candies, commonly with honey, but also with chocolate or stuffed with jams of various flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The blinis<\/strong> mentioned above can also be served as dessert, depending on what they wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also desserts such as baked apple and other desserts with this base ingredient, such as Ptasie mleczko <\/em><\/strong>(or bird’s milk).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other desserts to highlight are the pastila<\/em><\/strong> or fruit paste, the kasha guriev<\/em><\/strong> (almost without flour), the Tula gingerbread, the medovik<\/em><\/strong> (or honey and cream pie) and the Napoleon<\/strong>, a kind of millefeuille. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Napoleon<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

4. DRINKS in Russia: from Kvas to vodka<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As for drinks, I recommend you try first Kvas<\/strong>, a very mild fermented alcoholic beverage (around 1\u20192\u00ba) and very popular in Russia. There are versions also no alcohol, often of a fruity flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a fermented drink based on black bread made with wheat, barley and rye, and to add flavor, you can also add wild fruits. At the time this drink was known as the “Soviet Coca-Cola<\/strong>” for its flavor, color and foam it produces.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"kvas\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

On its part, tea<\/strong> is taken at any time of the day. The most traditional in Russia is black tea. Generally, with sugar and lemon, and without milk, served hot. It is accompanied by pastas or sweets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for beer<\/strong>, the most famous is the Baltika<\/strong> brand, based in St. Petersburg, the largest company in Eastern Europe and second European manufacturer. It currently belongs to the Carlsberg group. However, in restaurants you can find beers from all over the world, but at a more expensive price.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"baltika<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Also very noteworthy is kefir<\/strong>, a fermented drink based in milk (drinkable yogurt).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what about vodka<\/strong>? Russians do not mix it or serve it with ice, though the bottle is put in the fridge. It is accompanied by food: pickles, herring, etc. It is served in small glasses.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Vodka<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

And wine<\/strong>? You will find good wines in restaurant menus that come from Crimea or the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, etc.), with a predilection for sweet wines. Good restaurants also have wines from around the world in their menus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. RESTAURANTS in Russia: Russian, Georgian and other former USSR cuisine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choosing or recommending a restaurant is very complicated, because it depends on many factors. For example, the price<\/strong>. As I will explain below, in Russia you can find local fast food chains or buffets where you eat well and that are not expensive, but you can also find haute cuisine restaurants of much higher prices. If you are going with young children, they will love Russian fast food chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some important factors to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n