Russia Food & Drink: a Basic Guide of Things to Eat

What to eat in Russia? You may wonder while planning your trip what the Russian cuisine looks like, what are the national dishes, and their food culture in general. Russian cuisine is diverse and varies by each region you visit, but in this article, we go with the most popular dishes in Russia that you can find in the major cities visited by travelers, so as in any place concentrating Russian immigrants such as Israel, Barcelona, London, and Brighton Beach in New York City.

You also find dishes from Ukrainian, Kazakh, Mongolian, Georgian and other cuisines from former Soviet republics. In general, Russian food culture in daily life consists mostly of soups, salads, meat, mushrooms, pancakes, bread, pies, berries, porridge, and honey. If you’re visiting Kazan, check this post about the main dishes of Tartar gastronomy. For those passing by the Baikal Lake during the Trans-Siberian journey, you have to taste the Omul fish at local markets, found nowhere else in the world.

Where to Eat in Russia?

When traveling to Russia, take a chance to eat at a stolovaya (Столовая), pronounced as “stá-lo-vá-ya”- a canteen-style restaurant from the Soviet times that are usually frequented by locals and have prices affordable for budget travelers who want to save as much as possible. In Moscow, I recommend eating at Stolovaya Nº57 (Столовая Nº57) located at the shopping mall GUM (Гум) next to the Red Square.

Another restaurant to eat in Moscow at affordable prices is Varenichnaya Nº1 (Вареничная Nº1), known for its decoration inspired in an old Russian apartment. There is one branch near Red Square, next to the metro station Paveletskaya (Павелецкая) plus other branches around the city.

For fast food and pancakes for inexpensive prices, I recommend eating at Teremok (Теремок), a fast-food chain with dozens of franchises around Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other Russian major cities. They also serve pelmeni, borsch, and other dishes.

Soups

Soups are present in Russian gastronomy for fitting the need to keep the body warm during the long winters and their nutritional value, so as for being practical to cook. The cabbage soup shi, the solyanka made with cucumber plus beef or fish; so as the cold soup okroshka made with raw vegetables, ham or meat plus milk or kvas, and borsch that is usually prepared with beetroot plus other vegetables, both originally from Ukraine but also popular in Russia.

Pancakes

Russians love eating pancakes as part of breakfast or as fast food by what I could see. The list of flavors for pancake includes cheese, honey, jam, mince, sour cream, caviar. A local fast-food chain I recommend for trying pancakes for affordable prices is Teremok (Теремок), as mentioned above.

Grechka

Grechka (гречка) is a porridge made of grains boiled in water, similarly to cooking rice, the kasha as the Jewish immigrants used to call it. It’s popular in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Very easy to cook and can be used in any meal, or as a side dish accompanying soup and a piece of meat, for example. For budget travelers, it’s worth buying to cook during your trip.

Pelmeni

Pelmeni is a dumpling filled with meat usually accompanied by a sauce such as a smetana, similar to Ukrainian vareniki, and to the Polish pierogi. The ingredients and the sauce vary according to the region in Russia, depending on the local cultural influences.

Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette is originally from France but also popular in Russia, probably due to the wars during Napoleon’s times. It’s a salad made of potato, beets, carrot, oil, lemon juice, or vinegar.

Stroganoff

Stroganoff is a dish prepared with sautéed pieces of beef, cut in strips, and in Russia is usually served with a sour cream sauce named smetana. It’s also popular around the world, in Brazil for example, but with variations on saucing and flavoring.

Shashlik

Originally from Georgia, shashlik is a popular barbecue in Russia and in other former Soviet countries, ideal for those who love steaks. Basically, it’s a small portion of grilled meat that can be marinated after being flavored with spices, onion, garlic, and other ingredients.

Holodets

Holodets (Xолодец) is not something I remember seeing at restaurants, it sounds to be popular in Russia and other Slavic countries during celebrations such as Christmas and Easter. I had the chance to try it while being a guest in a Russian house. It’s a kind of meat cake, jelly meat to be precise, cooled in a refrigerator like gelatine after being cooked. It can be prepared with chicken, beef, or pork.

Drinks in Russia

Any stereotype about Russia around the world brings up vodka. But unlike the popular conception, the majority of Russians drink more tea than vodka, believe it or not. Drinking tea is indispensable in daily life in Russia, like drinking coffee in Brazil or mate in Uruguay and Argentina. Tea is crucial in breakfast while traveling on the trains, at breaktime, in the evening. At local supermarkets and shops, you find a large variety of tea and blends, from the black Azerbaijani tea to fruit teas from Sri Lanka. As a souvenir, Ivan Chai (иван-чай) is an idea that you can buy in the most visited cities, as it’s a popular tea in Russia.

Another beverage to try in Russia, for those who aren’t from Eastern Europe, is kvas (квас), a beverage made from fermented bread, also popular in Ukraine and in other former Soviet republics. Its flavor remembers the guarana beverage from Brazil but is a little stronger. You find at local supermarkets in plastic bottles, so as at local restaurants and kiosks in the streets in the summer.

A beverage that you find at local restaurants such as the stalovayas (Столовая) is the kompot (компот), which is made from fresh or dried fruits, such as pear, apple, or apricot, adding honey and other ingredients depending on the preferences of who makes it.

This is only a basic guide of what travelers can taste while exploring Russia since every region has at least a couple of local popular dishes or a different way to prepare the meals when compared to other parts of the country.

Originally posted 2020-09-27 06:21:53.