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Russian National Cuisine Traditions

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Russian cuisine is tasty, delicious, inevitable part of our traditions and lifestyle. Throughout our long and exciting history our national cuisine was inspired by different regions, historic events and people.

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Basically our food is pretty nutritious and fat with a lot of calories to help Russians survive winter and have energy during working days. Traditional ingredients are big doze of oil, sour cream, butter, mayonnaise and meat.

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In ancient time Russians prefer to cook food in special ovens, named «Pyetch’» and over an open fire outside their houses.

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Traditional Russian eating except breakfast consists of several dishes.

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At breakfast Russians today usually eat international food like porridge, pancakes, yogurts, sandwiches, eggs, sausages etc. Among traditional dishes are pancakes with toppings, cottage cheese, syrniky (fried cottage cheese)

 

In most Russian families dinner typically consists of several national cuisine dishes.

Zakoosky (snacks)

First dish - soup

Second dish meat with garnish.

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First part is named Zakoosky – traditional Russian snacks and cold starters. Zakoosky may consist of vegetable or traditional salads like «Oivye», «Vinegryet», «Selyodka pod Shooboy» salted herring with boiled beetroot translated like «herring in a fur coat», different pickles: tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, cold thin sliced meat with mustard and horseradish. For Zakoosky we also prepare «boot’yerbrods» small sandwiches with ham, cheese, red and black caviar or something else. Such kinds of appetizers are also used with traditional alcohol beverage drinks like vodka and tinctures from horseradish or cranberry. For the beginning Russians also have special dish named «Kholodets» (cold meat in jelly) and little pies with meat, cabbage+ eggs, potatoes etc. named «Pirojki». Black bread is also very popular in Russia and is a strong traditional accompaniment of our dinners.

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Second part of traditional Russian dinner and first dish is a soup. We have some traditional ones like Borsсht classical beetroot soup or Schi based on cabbage and potatoes. Russian soups are rich with meat and vegetables. In summer we eat cold soup named Okroshka. In our cuisine we also have fish traditional fish soup named Ukha and one more soup based on sorrel or nettle and classical daily sault soups Rassol’nik and Solyanka with meat, lemon, tomato paste, pickles and other ingredients.

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After soups Russians eat second dish which is our main course and is traditionally hot one. Russians prefer to eat chicken, beef, pork and lamb. Rare we cook dishes with ducks, rabbits gooses. In some traditional Russian restaurants you can find rare old recipe dishes from bear, dear and moose. Outside big cities some Russians have private country houses which are named dachas.

There many of us cook BBQ traditional Russian meat on grill outside the house on fresh air. We call this grilled meat shashlyk and we often it such kind of dish with our friends and families. Even in Moscow and other cities many restaurants have their own BBQ grill zone to offer guests such kind of meat. At homes as a second dishes we eat pel’meny (meat dumplings),  roasted chicken or other sort of meat, cutlets, mixed fried meat with vegetables and potatoes named Jarkoe, and some other traditional dishes like Beefstroganov. For garnish we prefer rice, buckwheat, potatoes and vegetables.

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Traditional Russian dinner basically consists of Zakoosky, salads and Second dish. First dish (soup) is usually cooked for dinner. With meals we drink water, self-made juices from fruits named Kompot and traditional Russian sparkling beverages Kvas, Dushes, Tarkhun, Baikal, Buratino (you can easily find them in food stores).

 

After eating Russians like to drink tea and coffee with honey, national jams called Vareniye, chocolate and cakes.

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To learn more about Russian National cuisine, discover recipes and traditional food products visit our special section National Cuisine.