Russian Cuisine

Russian cooking was shaped by a harsh winter and a short growing season, so it became a cuisine of roots, grains and preservation: beetroot, potato, turnip, cabbage, and soups that sit on the stove for hours.

The soups

Soup in Russia is a main course, not a starter. Borscht with beetroot (which gives it that deep red), shchi with cabbage, solyanka with pickles and smoked meats. All are served with a spoonful of smetana.

Smetana

Sour cream is everywhere: on the soup, with blini, in salads, and with pastries. Its acidity balances the richness of heavy dishes.

Pelmeni

Thin dough filled with minced meat, boiled and served with butter and smetana. Traditionally made in large family batches and frozen outdoors in the cold.

Pickling

Pickled cucumbers, fermented cabbage and pickled mushrooms were a historical necessity that became part of the Russian palate, and they appear with almost every meal.