In the last two posts, I talked about my wonderful adventure in Russia, the attractions, the museums, the cool rides. But what about the food? In this post, I will share with you some of the traditional Russian cuisine that my taste buds also experienced in my trip to Russia.
Surprisingly, I did not try anything traditional in Moscow. Perhaps maybe everyone who lives there prefer the European flavours? I don’t know, but it is at Saint Petersburg that I finally tasted some amazing Russian cuisine.
1. Russian Borscht
The first thing I’ve tried that was truly Russian, was the Russian Borscht. This differed from the other borscht I’ve tasted because Russians put beets in their borscht. I’m used to the tomato version for that distinctive red colour, the Asian style. What is also unique about the Russian Borscht is that folks there put in sour cream in their soup as well… and it taste amazing. Here are a few Russian Borscht that I’ve tried while in Saint Petersburg, they can be served hot or cold! So I tried both.
2. Russian Salad
Next on the list, still in the appetizer section is the Russian Salad. This dish is popular among Europe as well. It typically consists of minced boiled potato, minced boiled carrots, boiled egg, and mayonnaise. By this dish, I realize that Russian really like their beets because they also add beets in this salad too. In addition, thyme is also a very commonly used herb, and it’s sometime found in this salad. Russians are also super fancy with their dishes, just like everything I’ve seen in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, so there are often caviar found in the Russian Salad. All is yummy in my tummy!
3. Aspic
This dish is very common in China. I love to eat the cold jelly pork, even though I never really enjoyed eating pork; there’s something special about it. The Russians do eat it a tad differently though. Aside from eating it alone, they often eat it with horseradish and/or mustard. Maybe this is a European/Russian thing? I do prefer it just on its own though.
4. Caviar
Like I said before, Russians are fancy, so lots of the appetizers have caviar. This dish that I had at a restaurant off of the Nevsky had just what I wanted to try for ages – the black pearls!!
5. Vodka
Cleansing my palette before some hot foods and main dishes. Vodka is always a good idea, whether you are in Russia or not. I tried this vodka flight while I was in Saint Petersburg. Obviously, I don’t remember what I drank anymore, but there were different kinds of vodka, the original, then some fruity ones, and there were some extremely strong ones that tasted like whisky. My favorite one was the horseradish one, none of my other friends liked it though, so more for me!
In this vodka flight, there was a mini charcuterie board. I think it helped with the strong vodka that we drank in shots.
6. Dumplings
I do miss my Asian food fix while I was abroad. But when in Russia, it’s a easy problem to fix because they have dumplings and they taste just the same! However, they don’t use vinegar for dumplings, like the brown vinegar with ginger. In Russia, they prefer sour cream, white vinegar and/or butter.
6. Mains
Main dishes in Russia were similar to the types of food that one would eat in any restaurants in Europe, however, there is a Russian twist to it. My favourite in Russia was the duck and the beet risotto which was more of a Russian thing, I think
Before we end, here are my final thoughts on Russian foods. They love beets, sour cream and thyme. All their dishes will have one or all of the previously mentioned ingredients. Russian Borscht is amazing – now I just need to look up the recipe on google and make it. Russian vodka, it’s so smooth that I felt like I was almost drinking water (minus some really strong ones). Why can’t we have Russian vodka here? Overall, the cuisine is amazing. It has a variety of dishes that mixes both European flavours and Asian flavours. It’s literally the best of both worlds.
Two other noteworthy Russian dishes I had was at two different traditional Russian restaurants. Russian meatballs and boneless chicken! Do you see the thyme garnished on both of these dishes?
