I was a little apprehensive about this week, not because I didn’t think I would like the food from Russia, but because I really wanted to be careful about which dishes I chose. I thought it may be hard to differentiate Russian dishes from those that originated in other countries that were once in the Soviet Union. I didn’t get help from Reddit because the Russian subreddit is ‘quarantined’, something I’d never heard of before! I found out about an ‘AskARussian’ subreddit after I was done with cooking, so maybe that will help someone else in the future.
Anyway, I do have a Soviet-era cookbook with dishes from all over the Soviet Union, and it is generally pretty clear about which country each dish is from. So I used this to help me decide what to make this week.
Russia is huge—it is the largest country in the world and the most populous country in Europe. It is spread across Eastern Europe and North Asia.
There is evidence to suggest that Russia was first inhabited by an archaic form of humans very early, perhaps almost 2 million years ago.
The East Slavs became a recognized group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD, and the first East Slavic State emerged in the 9th century. Soon after, the East Slavs adopted Orthodox Christianity, which they learned about from the Byzantine Empire.
Russian lands were unified in 1567 as the Tsardom of Russia. At this time, although Russia was a large country, it was still much smaller than it is today and mostly limited to Eastern Europe. Over the next couple of centuries, the Russians expanded their territory eastward via a combination of conquest, annexation, and exploration. At this point, Russia was known as the Russian Empire, the third-largest empire in history.
In 1917, the monarchy was replaced by the world’s first constitutionally socialist state, known as the Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (SFSR). After a civil war, the SFSR established the Soviet Union along with neighboring Soviet republics, and gradually more joined (not all voluntarily).
The Soviet Union was very powerful at this point and made some great technological advancements; it also assisted the Allies in World War II.
However, in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed due to a range of reasons; the Cold War played a factor as it put stress on the already struggling economy. Russia adopted a new constitution and made an attempt at democracy, but it has instead become an authoritarian dictatorship under Vladimir Putin. There have been many conflicts in the last few decades with former Soviet countries, most notably Ukraine.
Today, Russia is still a major power, with a strong military, a high-income economy, a large stockpile of nuclear weapons, and a vast quantity of important mineral and energy resources. However, Russia does not rank well when it comes to democracy, human rights, corruption, and freedom of the press.
What Do People Eat in Russia?
Modern Russian cuisine is very varied; it draws influences from other former Soviet countries across Europe and Asia. Some dishes and ingredients came from even further; for example, the French made potatoes and tomatoes popular.
Russian cuisine has traditionally been based on grains such as buckwheat, oats, wheat, and rye. These were accompanied by other common ingredients, such as berries and a wide variety of mushrooms. For protein, fish and meat, such as pork and poultry, became popular.
It was common to pickle or ferment foods as a way of preserving them. Now, such foods are still widely consumed, only now it’s for their flavor.
Vodka was created as early as the 15th century, made from grains such as rye, wheat, and barley. It was often flavored, as early distilling processes left a lot of impurities, which were hidden by more pleasant flavors. Eventually, with advancements in distilling and filtering, rye became the most popular grain to use. Most Russian vodka today is made with either rye or wheat. Vodka has been and still is a popular accompaniment to meals. However, it is not the most popular drink in the country—that would be tea.
During the 17th century, the cuisine was different depending on how wealthy you were. Rich people got meat and caviar while poor people had much simpler fare. Around this time, more ingredients were introduced to the Russian people as more countries were annexed.
Today, caviar and vodka remain popular, and the cuisine is very much based on comfort food. This probably has something to do with how cold it gets in Russia! Potatoes, dumplings, baked goods, soups and stews, and meat-heavy dishes are very common.
What I Made
- Blini (Russian Pancakes)
- Solianka (Spicy Meat Soup)
- Beef Stroganoff (Beef with Mushrooms and Sour Cream)
- Olivier Salad (Russian Potato Salad)
- Pelmeni (Siberian Meat Dumplings)
Scroll down to read about other popular Russian dishes I didn’t make!
Blini (Russian Pancakes)
Blini are actually more like crêpes than pancakes, at least the version I made. I’ve also seen them as cute little pancakes served with caviar or smoked salmon as appetizers, but I think this is a more modern interpretation.
First, I heated milk, and when it was lukewarm, I stirred in a little sugar and yeast. I let it stand until the yeast began to activate, then whisked in some flour and let the mixture sit, covered, for an hour.
Next, I added more flour, as well as salt, oil, butter, and a bit more sugar. Again, I let the mixture sit, covered, this time for 45 minutes.
Finally, I added the remaining ingredients—warm milk, egg yolks, and egg whites (which I had beaten to form soft peaks). After this, the batter had to rise for another 45 minutes.
At this point, the recipe suggests using a potato half dipped in oil to grease the pan, the idea being that you want very little oil. I used a pastry brush instead.
Each blini only took a minute or two to cook. Mine were bigger than called for in the recipe, since I was meant to use a 5- 7-inch crepe pan and the closest I had was a 10-inch non-stick pan. I was very impressed with how easy these were to cook. They didn’t stick at all (I’ve had problems with this before with other batters in the same pan) and were very easy to flip.
I served these with sour cream, smoked salmon, and dill. In Russia, other popular savory toppings include caviar, herring or other types of fish, and mushrooms. You could also enjoy them sweet with jam.
I really liked these; I would call them the best crêpes I’ve ever made. They were well worth the effort!
This recipe came from ‘Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook’ by Anya Von Bremzen and John Welchman. It was published right towards the end of the Soviet Era and is quite fascinating.
Solianka (Spicy Meat Soup)
This soup is typically made with leftover meat, accompanied by mushrooms, tomatoes, pickles, and whatever other ingredients are available. The traditional version was likely different, without the tomatoes and perhaps more focused on the pickles and mushrooms. It’s not particularly spicy, but this is how it’s referred to in the recipe I used. The recipe called for cooked veal, ham, and kielbasa. I used beef chuck instead of the veal, and I cooked it in advance by simmering it in water until it was just tender.
I began by soaking dried shiitake mushrooms in water (the recipe actually calls for ‘imported dried wild mushrooms’). Then I strained them and reserved the soaking liquid (which I also strained to remove any sediment).
I melted some butter in a pot and added onions, ham, kielbasa, beef, the rehydrated mushrooms, and some fresh mushrooms. The fresh mushrooms here were a replacement for the marinated mushrooms called for in the recipe; I couldn’t find any at the supermarket and didn’t have time to make them.
I sautéed for a while, then added beef stock and the mushroom soaking liquid. Once the liquid was simmering, I added bay leaves, black pepper, diced dill pickles, and capers.
Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, I melted more butter and added diced tomatoes (from a can) and tomato paste. I cooked for a few minutes, then stirred in some flour. After another minute, I ladled in some of the liquid from the soup pot and stirred it in. Then I added the contents of the skillet to the pot. This technique was interesting and new to me but I didn’t question it; it wasn’t difficult and wasn’t going to do any harm.
Next, I stirred in chopped olives, dill, marjoram, garlic, pickle juice, and paprika. I seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked for a little longer before serving.
It is suggested that this be served with a slice of lemon and sour cream on the side. I didn’t feel I needed the lemon but I did add a dollop of sour cream after I began eating. I’ll admit that I was very apprehensive about this soup; I am not the biggest fan of mushrooms, and there seemed to be a strange combination of ingredients here, with the olives, the pickles, and the pickle juice. But somehow, all these flavors came together in the best way and the soup turned out super delicious. I do feel it needed the sour cream though; I think the creaminess helped balance the strong flavor of the soup.
This recipe is also from ‘Please to the Table’.
Beef Stroganoff (Beef with Mushrooms and Sour Cream)
I think beef stroganoff is a classic dish these days. It’s meant to be made with high-quality steak, like filet mignon, but I went with sirloin instead since I didn’t want to spend that much! The steak is cooked with mushrooms, onion, beef stock, and often a little brandy, then finished with sour cream. Most people seem to pair this with egg noodles, but apparently the more traditional accompaniment in Russia is mashed potatoes, so that is what I went with.
I began by cooking the onions and mushrooms in a mixture of oil and butter until soft. Then I removed them from the pan and added the sliced steak. After a quick sear, I added some brandy. A minute or two later, I added beef stock, whole grain mustard, a bay leaf, salt, and pepper. I returned the mushrooms and onion to the pan and let everything cook for a few minutes. Over low heat, I stirred in the sour cream. That was it! This was actually really simple to make. Although I do question how much the bay leaf is doing with such a short cook time.
I served this with mashed potatoes, sprinkled with a little parsley. It was quite good; even though I’m not a mushroom fan I liked this a lot. I’m sure it would be even better with filet mignon. One day, maybe!
This recipe is from Vikalinka.
Olivier Salad (Russian Potato Salad)
This take on potato salad is probably another dish that is familiar to a lot of people outside of Russia. It’s often just referred to as ‘Russian salad’, and the core ingredients are potatoes, pickles, and a dressing made mostly from mayonnaise and sour cream. There are countless variations, with some containing more vegetables and others including meat or even diced apple.
First, I diced red potatoes and carrots and boiled them until tender. I also hard-boiled a few eggs and diced them.
Now I just had to mix everything together: the potatoes, carrots, eggs, as well as onions, pickles, peas, mayonnaise, sour cream, whole grain mustard, white wine vinegar, and garlic. I added a little more sour cream than the recipe called for since I felt it needed more dressing. I added salt and pepper to taste, and then the salad was done. I stored it in the fridge before serving, which I highly recommend as it definitely seemed to taste better after a few hours.
I’m a big fan of potato salad and this version was pretty good, if not my favorite. There wasn’t anything wrong with it! There are just other potato salads I like more.
The recipe I followed is from At the Immigrant’s Table.
Pelmeni (Siberian Meat Dumplings)
Russians enjoy a wide variety of dumplings, but many are really from other former Soviet countries. From what I can tell, pelmeni originated in Siberia, a Russian region taking up pretty much all of Northern Asia. Pelmeni are small dumplings filled with meat and onion. They are typically made in bulk and frozen, then cooked in boiling water and served tossed with butter or in soup.
These little dumplings were actually pretty easy to make, though the folding took some time. The dough came together easily in the food processor—it was made from flour, salt, an egg, and cold water. I kneaded it a little and let it rest for about half an hour.
For the filling, I combined ground beef, ground pork, crushed ice, finely diced onion, salt, and pepper. The recipe called for two medium onions, but considering how big onions are these days, especially in the US compared to Europe, I went with one onion which was medium to me, and I thought that was plenty.
I divided the dough into manageable pieces and rolled each one out. When I had a thin sheet, I cut circles out with a 2 1/4-inch round cutter. It was meant to be 2-inch but I thought they’d be easier to make if I made them slightly bigger.
I put a spoonful of the meat mixture on each dough circle, then folded the dough over to make half moons. I pinched the ends together and pressed them over the filled portion to make the pelmeni shape. Here, the recipe said to use a beaten egg white to stick the dough edges together. I honestly forgot about it until I had already begun, and I found the dough was sticking fine without the egg so I skipped it.
I froze my pelmeni and cooked some later in the week. I boiled them for a few minutes, then tossed them with butter and a little parsley to serve. These were amazing! I’m glad to have a whole lot more in my freezer for other meals.
This is another recipe from ‘Please to the Table’.
Other Popular Russian Dishes
- Kasha – a porridge made from oats or buckwheat, often served with fruit and/or jam but it can also be savory.
- Okroshka – a cold soup made mostly from raw vegetables such as cucumbers, along with boiled potatoes and cooked meat.
- Medovik – also known as ‘Russian honey cake’, this is made from many thin cookie-like cake layers (flavored with honey) with a creamy filling in between.
Final Thoughts
I really liked all the food from Russia I made this week! I think the pelmeni were my favorite, followed by the solianka.
Next week, I will be cooking food from Rwanda.