Russian Cuisine

Russian cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Russian people mainly in western Russia.

Many traditional Russian dishes are made in a type of wood burning stove called a pech’(печь).

Traditional Russian music is mostly vocal and uses instruments including balalaika, domra, types of accordion, and recorder.

Ingredients

Buckwheat(гречка) is better suited to the Russian climate than wheat, which was historically uncommon. Rye has been used for centuries in Russia.

Dill(укроп) is a popular herb.

Sugar beets began to be used for sugar production in the early 1800s after being introduced to Russia.

Apples are a popular fruit. Sour apples are generally preferred for cooking. Antonovka apples(aнтоновские яблоки), a rather sour variety, are a Russian specialty developed in the 1800s and the favored variety for baking.

Wild mushrooms are traditionally foraged. Porcini mushrooms or white mushrooms(белые грибы), also known as boletes or ceps, are popular.

Honey is a traditional sweetener.

Salted roe or caviar is used; the roe of sturgeon may be called ‘black caviar’.

Dairy is used widely in northern Russian cuisine.

Dishes

• kasha(каша): boiled buckwheat
• black bread(черный хлеб): sourdough bread made from rye flour
• pirog(пирог): pie with savory or sweet filling
• pirozhki(пирожки́): small pies with savory or sweet filling
• blini(блины): thin leavened flour pancakes
• baranki(баранка): bread rings
• sushki(су́шки): small dried bread rings
• pelmeni: small dumplings
• shchi(щи): cabbage soup
• ukha(уха): clear fish soup
• varenye(варенье): sweetened preserved whole fruit
• solyanka(соля́нка): thick spicy and sour soup
• pastila: fluffy cake made from apple