Russian cuisine

Russian Cuisine represents a wonderful bouquet of many cultural traditions and influences that have been absorbed over many centuries. However, the basic food of Russian cuisine go back to ancient times and include all kinds of vegetables, mushrooms, meat, milk products, honey, fruits and berries, and a variety of wheat, barley, and rye grains.

Russian Daily Meals

The kitchen is the favorite or central spot of the home in many cultures. Russia is not the exception, even more likely a demonstrative example. Russian kitchen is the heart of Russian home which smells and dainties create a special, stirring up the best feelings, atmosphere. It is the place where families gather for having meal, friends get together for chatting over a cup of tea and the guests are welcomed to feel the warmth of the national hospitality.

Usually, there are three meals of the day. But, depending on the place of living, they are organized and offered in different ways. Russians, such as every nationality, start the day with breakfast — zavtrak . It is a very hearty meal, though. A breakfast in Russian way includes eggs, sausages, cold cuts and cheese that are accompanied by bread slices with butter. Tea or coffee is a must on the morning table. Various hot cereals are popular as well, particularly with mothers and kids. Russian children are supposed to get their first shot of energy from a hot bowl of oatmeal. Perhaps they do, but they resist to this healthy energy with all their childish rigidity.

Lunch is nonexistent in Russia. In fact, this term was generally not understood until the early 1990\'s. The second meal of the day is taken about around 2 o\'clock p.m.  and called obed (dinner). Russian obed is the main meal of the day. Zakuski (appetizers) highlight the meal. Such delights as caviar , pickles, smoked fish, and various vegetable salads can easily serve a rich meal. However, everyday zakuski are composed of light salads and pickles. Then goes soup (pervoe — first course). Soup, mouth watering, with meat pieces in delectable transparent broth, is the first step of the long satiation process. The main course — vtoroye is usually of meat or fish. The main dish is usually accompanied by a garnish: potatoes, rice, noodles and vegetables. Finally, comes the dessert! Tretye might be a piece of cake, fruits or chocolates.

The evening meal is served around 7 o’clock p.m.  or later. It is called uzhin in Russian. Russian uzhin is similar to dinner but without soup and dessert — just some appetizers and main course from meat or fish with garnish.

Russian Soups

Russian traditional cuisine became famous for its first courses all over the world: schi, borsch, rassolnik, solyanka, okroshka, and ukha — any dish can decorate any table.

Soup came to the table with Peter the Great. Soup was the dish of first course, often named «appetizing dish», as soup assist in digestion stimulation.

All the soups, in old times, were served in ceramic pots, later in cast-iron ones. Ceramic possesses less thermal conductivity, that lets soup be cooked almost without boiling. The small bottom supports heat balance and the narrow neck diminishes vaporization and air contact — this assists to the aroma concentration.

Formely, soup was eaten with wooden spoons. Whole villages were famous for their spoons of different forms. Wooden spoons differ from simple ones by one, but a very important particular quality, — they don’t burn lips and are very good for first hot dishes.