Russian Cuisine

Russian cuisine is rich and varied, and in St. Petersburg particularly, not only the wonderful variety of Russian cuisine, from old Russia to the present, is widely available, but an incredible array of European, American, and world cuisine as well.

Many characteristic Russian dishes are justifiably world famous: black and red caviar, sturgeon, fresh and salted salmon, mushrooms in infinite variety, pickled, salted, and in sauces and soups, Siberian dumplings (pelmeni), Russian pancakes (blini) and pies (piroshki), Russian black bread, pickled cucumbers and cabbage, borscht (cabbage and beet ), schi (beef and cabbage) and solyanka (sausage and pickle) soups, potatoes prepared in every possible way, and the famous Chicken Kiev or Beef stroganoff, with generous use of butter and smetana (sour cream).

The origins of Russian cuisine go back to the origins of old Russia, in the ninth and tenth centuries, and were enhanced by Russia's contacts with Poland, Lithuania, Germany, the Baltic, Central Asia and China, and western Europe. Another important factor has been the blend of peasant cooking and culture and aristocratic and urban culture. Finally, the importance of religious fasts, feasts and holidays have played their role.

Pies of all kinds retain their hold on Russian cooking since the earliest times: meat or fish, poultry, cheese, mushrooms, vegetables, especially cabbage and spinach, fruits and berries, in infinite and varied combinations. No holiday table is complete without small or large pies.

Soups and stews not only begin most full meals, but substitute for other meals at times of shortages, having the additional advantage of utilizing fresh ingredients, stored dry or winter root vegetables, and spices, as well as stretching the meat, poultry or fish available.

The original staple of the Russian household, poor or rich, in times of plenty or scarcity, was bread: black rye or wheat, and kasha (porridge) made of buckwheat. Contact with Asia brought various pastas and rice into the diet, where they remain. Central Asian plov (with meat, onions, carrots and lots of rice) is now very much a part of the Russian diet, as are Siberian meat, vegetable, chicken dumplings (pelmeni) boiled in water or broth and served with generous helpings of sour cream.

During the imperial period of Russia where St. Petersburg was Russia's capital, European dishes and multi-course feasts became more common both among the elite and the rising middle class. Here roasted meat, fowl, fresh fish and the use of fresh or preserved vegetables and numerous pickled and fresh salads, made with both meat and vegetables, predominated, and the potato was introduced into Russian life, never to leave.

Drinks. Varieties of Russian vodka, both flavored and pristine, if possible served cold, are the key accompaniment to a Russian feast, but cognac from the Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia) and Russian , French and Crimean wines also remain popular. The huge variety of Russian juices and nectars also grace the table, from apple and peach and pear to cranberry, lingonberry and northern berries that are special only to Scandinavia, Russia, Canada and Alaska.

And at the end of every meal? Tea, of course, or coffee, with preserves or sugar. And something sweet: a fancy cake, chocolate, or cookies .