Most Popular Dishes of Russian Cuisine
Russians have their own ideas about how and what to eat. The Russian cuisine has a great variety of products and sometimes weird combination of ingredients. But most foreigners are rarely able to tell any dishes except for vodka, blini and borsch (and even fewer can actually pronounce the last word).
Russian cuisine may not be extremely popular worldwide, but it has a lot to offer. It’s as diverse as the Russian culture, with borrowings from many smaller national cuisines. Homemade meals cooked by babushka’s time-proved recipes will delight food enthusiasts.
So, if you find yourself in Moscow or elsewhere in Russia, here is the list of foods you definitely need to try.
Herring Under Fur Coat
A must-have salad for every Russian holiday with pickled herring covered with layers of boiled vegetables. This dish was often served by Russian Jews on shabbat and after Yom Kippur.
Pelmeni
These boiled Russian dumplings are commonly associated with the Ural mountains and Siberia. They are made of ground meat wrapped in unleavened dough.
Olivier Salad
Also known as the Russian salad, Olivier is a traditional dish with vegetables (potatoes, carrots, pickles and green peas) and chicken (sometimes beef or ham). It was invented by the Belgian chef Lucien Olivier in 1860’s, while he was working at the Hermitage restaurant in Moscow.
Since then, expensive seasonal ingredients were replaced with cheaper and more available foods.
Okroshka
A cold soup popular in Russia during the summer. Basically, Okroshka is a salad made into a soup. It is served with kvas (popular Russian drink) and sour cream.
Blini
Russian, thin, flat crepes made from flour and served with a varieties of fillings: caviar, sour cream, condensed milk and many others.
Vinegret Salad
It became popular during the early Soviet era, in the time when fresh vegetables were difficult to find. It consist of boiled vegetables (beetroots, potatoes, carrots and green peas), chopped onions and served with a sunflower or olive oil.
Buckwheat Kasha With Mushrooms
Kasha (porridge), especially buckwheat, is the backbone of traditional Russian cuisine. This dish is super cheap and easy to cook.
Kholodets (Aspic)
This dish gets its name from “kholod”, the Russian name for cold. It’s jellied meat or fish, always served cold.
Golubtsi
Stuffed cabbage leaves, served with a sour cream or tomato sauce. Weird-looking, but popular meal, cooked for special occasions.
Ukha Soup
Simple rustic soup cooked by men during the fishing. Minimum vegetables, maximum of different varieties of fish.
Beef Stroganoff
A popular dish among Russian noblemen in the 19th century, created by a French chef for the cooking contest in St. Petersburg. This dish includes strips of beef and mushrooms, cooked in sour cream and served over noodles or mashed potatoes.
Stroganina
Traditional Siberian dish, usually made with muksun (fish in the Arctic waters). Very thin and long slices of deep-frozen fish are served with salt, pepper and sometimes mustard.
Tushonka
Canned stewed and spiced meat, most commonly pork or beef. It was widely used to feed the Soviet army during the wars.
Pirozhki
Homemade baked buns stuffed anything from vegetables to meat and fruit. This dish is still very popular. You can find it in bakeries or fast food shops.
Herring Under Fur Coat
A must-have salad for every Russian holiday with pickled herring covered with layers of boiled vegetables. This dish was often served by Russian Jews on shabbat and after Yom Kippur.
Pelmeni
These boiled Russian dumplings are commonly associated with the Ural mountains and Siberia. They are made of ground meat wrapped in unleavened dough.
Olivier Salad
Also known as the Russian salad, Olivier is a traditional dish with vegetables (potatoes, carrots, pickles and green peas) and chicken (sometimes beef or ham). It was invented by the Belgian chef Lucien Olivier in 1860’s, while he was working at the Hermitage restaurant in Moscow.
Since then, expensive seasonal ingredients were replaced with cheaper and more available foods.
Okroshka
A cold soup popular in Russia during the summer. Basically, Okroshka is a salad made into a soup. It is served with kvas (popular Russian drink) and sour cream.
Blini
Russian, thin, flat crepes made from flour and served with a varieties of fillings: caviar, sour cream, condensed milk and many others.
Vinegret Salad
It became popular during the early Soviet era, in the time when fresh vegetables were difficult to find. It consist of boiled vegetables (beetroots, potatoes, carrots and green peas), chopped onions and served with a sunflower or olive oil.
Buckwheat Kasha With Mushrooms
Kasha (porridge), especially buckwheat, is the backbone of traditional Russian cuisine. This dish is super cheap and easy to cook.
Kholodets (Aspic)
This dish gets its name from “kholod”, the Russian name for cold. It’s jellied meat or fish, always served cold.
Golubtsi
Stuffed cabbage leaves, served with a sour cream or tomato sauce. Weird-looking, but popular meal, cooked for special occasions.
Ukha Soup
Simple rustic soup cooked by men during the fishing. Minimum vegetables, maximum of different varieties of fish.
Beef Stroganoff
A popular dish among Russian noblemen in the 19th century, created by a French chef for the cooking contest in St. Petersburg. This dish includes strips of beef and mushrooms, cooked in sour cream and served over noodles or mashed potatoes.
Stroganina
Traditional Siberian dish, usually made with muksun (fish in the Arctic waters). Very thin and long slices of deep-frozen fish are served with salt, pepper and sometimes mustard.
Tushonka
Canned stewed and spiced meat, most commonly pork or beef. It was widely used to feed the Soviet army during the wars.
Pirozhki
Homemade baked buns stuffed anything from vegetables to meat and fruit. This dish is still very popular. You can find it in bakeries or fast food shops.