Traditional foods on a traditional Russian restaurant’s menu

Borshch, orscht is a Russian national passion - a broad recipe for soup that explains the country's cultural and culinary traditions. All over Russia, cooks make borscht according to their regional recipes, using ingredients that range from mushrooms and horseradish to cilantro and bell peppers. Ideal on cold and gray days, borscht always contains beets, which are simultaneously husky and subtle, and then - because it was a soup that fed poor farmers - just about anything that happens to be on hand.

A finished borscht is a cheering sight. Its brilliant color, topped with a dollop of sour cream and a garnish of dill, makes a stunning presentation. Full of vegetables and meat, the layered flavors in this soup are especially nice with a dollop of fresh sour cream.

You may have already heard of pirozhki. A common variety of pirozhki are baked stuffed buns made from yeast dough and often glazed with egg to produce the common golden colour. They commonly contain meat (typically beef) or a vegetable filling (mashed potatoes, mushrooms, onions and egg, or cabbage). Pirozhki could also be stuffed with fish (e.g., salmon) or with an oatmeal filling mixed with meat or giblets. Sweet-based fillings could include stewed or fresh fruit (apples, cherries, apricots, chopped lemon, etc.), jam, or cottage cheese; The buns may be plain and stuffed with the filling, or else be made in a free-form style with strips of dough decoratively encasing the filling.

 

Caviar, or ikra is really something to get worked up about in Russia. Briny and sharp, it is often served on dark, crusty bread or with blini, which are like pancakes or crepes. Caviar on buttered bread is a popular zakuska.

Blini are also served rolled with a variety of fillings: jam, cheese, onions, or even chocolate syrup. At any restaurant where you aren’t sure of any of the other dishes, blini are always a safe bet. Bliniare such an important part of Russian cuisine, a festival called Maslenitsa celebrates the beginning of spring with them.

Russian kebabs are called shashlyk. Like any kebab, they can be a combination of meat and vegetables.

Pelmeni are pastry dumplings filled typically with meatballs. They can be served alone, slathered in butter and topped with sour cream, or in a soup broth. Definitely a favorite in Russia and abroad!

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