My sister recommended that I write up a blog post on the food here in Russia since that was the topic of many questions before I left. Good idea, sis. Here goes.
I have come to Russia with what seems like a completely new and improved pallet. Things that I would never have even tried at home and things I was confident that I didn’t like are actually finding their way back into my diet – just in another country.
My host mom/grandmother was very prepared for my arrival and had a meal waiting. I believe it was… пирожки – though I can’t say with absolute certainty. Whatever it was, I remember not even being that hungry, but eating every bit of it. During this meal, my babushka proceeded to sit with me and make a list of all foods like I like and don’t like – so as to avoid making anything that I would most likely not eat.
So here’s a list of foods that I have tried so far and their rough, English equivalent and a short description of each:
помидоры и огуреци - tomatoes and cucumbers – I group these two together because I eat them with every meal and never just one or the other. Sometimes they are prepared just sliced and laid out on a plate and sometimes as a salad with a cold, liquid form of butter mixed in – quite tasty.
хлеб и сыр – bread and cheese – These are also served with every meal. I’m not a big cheese fan in general, but my babushka is determined to find a variant of cheese that I like, so she tries to have a new one for every meal. I tried to explain pepper-jack cheese to her the other day, but I couldn’t get the idea across.
мясо - meat - Every meal also is complemented with some type of cold sandwich meat - usually salami. I think we would probably consider this an appetizer in America, but very good just the same.
бутерброды - open-faced sandwiches - These are usually what the bread and cheese are for should I choose to use them in this way, but I rarely do. These consist of meat, cheese and bread then can be topped with various vegetables if desired. I usually just eat the parts separate.
пирожки с мясом – bread folded over with meat inside – that’s really not the best description, but really all I can think of. The bread is more like a baked dough and they are served warm and are very, very good.
блины – Russian pancakes – These have easily been my favorite dish that I have tried yet. These, as the description says, are the Russian equivalents of pancakes. They are actually much, much thinner and floppier. They can be served with pretty much anything: fruit, chocolate, meat, etc. but my favorite topping is something that resembles evaporated milk – a creamy, sweet sauce that is very tasty.
паста с мясом – pasta with meat – This is simply what you would think it is. Well, if you’re thinking spaghetti, then it’s not what you think it is – haha. Let me explain. Apparently, tomato sauce doesn’t exist in the Russian Federation, or at least if it does, it is used very rarely and hard to find. In the place of tomato sauce, “ketchup” is used. I put it in quotations because the ketchup here is not like the ketchup in America – it’s much thinner and spicier. I usually just eat the pasta plain with the meat and it is also one of my favorites so far.
борщ – borsch – I had real, Russian borsch for the first time today. It was better than I expected it to be. Many people (including myself) believe that borsch is mainly cabbage, but it turns out that’s not the case. Today, my borsch had a lot of carrots in it with some cabbage and onions I think, oh and meat also. It was good. I’m not a big soup fan in general (with the exception of my mother’s chicken-corn soup), but like I said – better than I thought it would be.
котлеты – cutlets – I honestly am not entirely sure what these are, but they are tasty. They can be made from different meats, I believe, but I honestly can’t tell the difference. I think the best comparison I know to make would be to the stuffing that we usually eat at Thanksgiving – they have that same texture, but are made out of meat.
картошка – potatoes – These are the same as they are in America, though served a little more often. So far, I have had them mashed, and in small bite size portions. They don’t come close to the mashed potatoes that I eat at home, but they do their job and fill me up. I don’t ever really expect anyone to be able to make mashed potatoes like my American grandmother can.
печенье – cookies – There are lots of varieties of cookies and sweet things in Russia and so far, all have been very good that I have gotten to try after my meals here at the apartment. It’s very common for something sweet to be served with tea – and tea is an everyday and many-times-a-day type of thing.
сок – juice – Juice is also served with every meal I eat here at the apartment. There are apparently plenty of varieties here in Russia. So far I’ve had, mixed fruit, orange juice, apple juice, and peach/apple juice.
чай – tea – I almost forgot my favorite part of every Russian meal – hot tea! Russians love their tea and really do drink it with every meal and between most meals. I’ve had lots of different kinds at various cafes and haven’t found one that I don’t like and I suspect that I never will.
Well, that’s really all the main dishes that I have had – served in varied ways. Overall, I am very pleased with the food. Food was the main thing that I was worried about because I truly had no idea what to expect, but now I am not worried at all!
