Russian Food

Welcome to the world of authentic Russian cuisine and cooking recipes

ussian cuisine is one of the most popular and widely spread in the world. French cuisine is festive and elegant, Chinese cuisine is exotic, Russian cuisine is healthy and delicious. Russian dishes are easy to cook and they do not demand much skill and special ingredients, they do not need exotic equipment and tool and everybody who knows how to hold a cooking knife and how to peel potatoes can cook delicious Russian dishes.

What is the Russian food? One can say that Russian food is what Russians originally eat. However, the lunch of a person who lives in Moscow varies much from the lunch of a person who lives in Siberian countryside. The cities are always in a hurry and the fast food (piroshki, hot dogs, pelmeni) is the permanent leader there. In villages everything is cooked from scratch. Russians eat various dishes and traditional meals are not the only ones they like. Russia is mainly a northern country with long-lasting cold winter. The food should give them much energy and warmth to survive during the winter time. So, the essential components of Russian cuisine are those, which provide more carbohydrates and fat rather than proteins. Fresh fruits and vegetables are rarely used in food. So, the top six components of a Russian meal are:

POTATO - (boiled, fried, baked, potato chops, potato pancakes, potato soup, mashed potato)

BREAD - (bread, toasts, bread-crumbs)

EGGS - (boiled, fried)

MEAT - (pork and beef; chops, stakes)

BUTTER - (usually added in all meals and spread on bread)

HOT TEA - (consumed at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any hour in between)

Also popular: cabbage, milk, sour cream, curds, mushrooms, lard, cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, berries, honey, sugar, salt, garlic, onions, vegetable oil, pepper.

ince its introduction to Russia from China, tea has become a cultural staple. It is consumed at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any hour in between. Russians traditionally drink strong black teas which they flavor with honey, sugar or jams. And one of the ways of preparing tea that has most been associated with Russia is the samovar. In old Russia, in the days before mass production, tea drinking was a way of life. The samovar was a staple in homes, restaurants and offices. Samovars would be located on street corners to sell tea to passersby. Even trains were equipped with samovars for their passengers.

In times past, grain - wheat, rye, oats and millet - was the main food stuff in Russia. Russian people were engaged in ploughing since time immemorial and so bread played a very significant part in their diet. The festive table couldn't be imagined without pies and other pasties. Pies were cooked with a cook cereals, all sorts of pancakes and baked puddings. Cattle-breeding was always popular in Russia as was hunting - hence a large choice of meat dishes included those of wild animals and fowl.

Large areas covered by woods and forests, especially in the north of Russia, were abundant in berries and mushrooms and this accounted for a wealth of "gifts of the forests" on the Russian table. One should also not forget about the fish courses. Russian cuisine was renowned for diverse delicacies, especially refreshments, made of fish. Russian rivers, lakes and seas yielded much of this tasty and useful kind of food.

Centuries have passed… Growing contacts with Western countries led to numerous borrowings in Russian cooking. In the times of Peter the Great contemporary cookers became widespread in Russia and together with them saucepans, frying-pans, straining spoons and other indispensable kitchen utensils were introduced. At the beginning of the nineteenth century Russian cooks derived various sauces and dressings for which French cuisine was famous. These innovations became an important addition to traditional Russian spices - horse-radish and mustard. All of this undoubtedly enriches Russian cookery.

By using following Russian recipes you have a chance to make a pleasant surprise to your friends treating them to some delicious dishes cooked in an authentic style of Russian cuisine. With our help you'll taste and find out tales about the most popular ethnic dishes of Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian, and other cuisines. Enjoy.