Gastronomy in Russia

Geared towards providing energy and warmth in extremely cold climes, Russian staple food consists mainly of potatoes, bread, eggs, meat and butter. Cabbage, milk, sour cream, curds, mushrooms, lard, cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, berries, honey, sugar, salt, garlic, onions are also popular ingredients in Russian recipes.

Soups have always played an important role in Russian meals. The traditional range of soups include shchi, borscht, ukha, rassolnik, solyanka, botvin`, okroshka, and teur. Crops of rye, wheat, barley, and millet provide the ingredients for a plethora of breads, pancakes, cereals, kvass, beer, and vodka. Veal orloff, beef stroganoff, and sharlotka are well-known Russian dishes.

Kvass has a few dozen variations. The basic method of preparing kvass is to ferment a dough made of water, flour, and malt liquid. This fermented ‘zator’ is diluted by water; yeast, sugar, and aromatic additives are mixed in and then it is brewed. Common additives are fruit and berry juices, ginger or mint.