Eating In Russia - Local Foods, Drinks And Delicacies

Russia's vastness and multicultural culture is evident in its cuisine.
The foundations of this modern cuisine were laid down by the rural population with their peasant food, usually made in a very harsh climate.

There was an abundant supply of game, poultry and fish and with it, flavourful stews and soups could be made. Honey and berries were available and crops of barley, rye, wheat and millet provided the ingredients for all kinds of foods and drinks including breads, cereals, pancakes, kvass, vodka and beer.

For the vast majority of Russians, these wholly native foods remained the staples well into the 20th century. There is an inescapable Eastern character to its cooking methods, provided perhaps by the Ottoman Empire and Persia thanks to their once close proximity.

Russia is renowned for its caviar and it is easily obtained. Prices, however, can be exorbitant. Famous Russian dishes in the West such as Beef Stroganoff and Chicken Kiev can be found but are mostly aimed at tourists. The status of these dishes was lost during Soviet times.

Russian specialties:

Blini (Crêpes)
Piroshki (Meat or cabbage pie)
Ikra Baklazhanaya (Aubergine caviar)
Borsch (Beetroot soup/red soup)
Shi (Cabbage soup)
Golubsti (Cabbage rolls)
Olivier (Potato salad)
Shashlyk (Kebabs of various kinds)
Pelmini (Meat-filled dumplings)
Vareniki (Ukrainian dumplings)
Vinegret (Boiled vegetable salad with beets)

Sophisticated, world class dining can be found in both Moscow and Saint Petersburg. There is plenty of choice for ethnic cuisines including Japanese, Italian and Tibetan as well as the best cuisines from the former Soviet Union.

There are many western fast food chains available but it is possible to eat well and cheaply without resorting to that. Russia has their own unique style of fast food restaurants in the form of cafes or streetside kiosks where you can pick up tasty Russian meat soups, meat pies or stuffed potatos.

In Russia it is best to avoid drinking the tap water or using ice in drinks. You can buy bottled water wherever food is served.

There are lots of stylish cafes springing up all over Saint Petersburg and Russia, serving espresso, cappuccino, rich cakes and pastries and toasted sandwiches. Cafes in Russia, unlike cafes in Europe, serve a full range of meals.

Drink
You can get all sorts of drinks in Russia. From soft drinks to beer, from spirits to wine plus some unusual drinks like Kvas and Mors.
Kvas is a sour-sweet, non-alcoholic, naturally carbonised drink made from fermented dark bread. Mors is a traditional wild berry drink.

International soft drinks like Pepsi, CocaCola and Fanta are available as well as local soft drinks, Buratino, Tarhun and Baikal. Beer is cheap and is found at any street vendor (sold warm). The popular brands are Stary Melnik, Baltika, Bochkareff, Zolotaya, Tinkoff, Bochka plus many others.

Photo: Russian Borsch
Photo credit: Flickr's Tanya !

Cities in Russia

Russia has some of the world's most remarkable cities. Below we will explore the history of seven of the most notable.

Moscow
Moscow is the political and financial centre of Russia and is also its biggest city. It covers an area of 1080 sq km and has a population of around 13 million. It is located on the Moskva River which winds its way through the city.
The main sites are Red Square, Lenin Mausoleum, St Basil Cathedral, The Kremlin, Old Arbat Street, Bolshoi Theatre, Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin Museum and Novodevichy Convent.

Irkutsk
Irkutsk is steeped in history and is one of the biggest cities in Siberia, Russia. It lies at the Angara River - 5,185 km (3,222 mi) by rail from Moscow and has a poulation of just under 600,000. Attractions: The City History Museum, The Geology Museum, The Irkutsk Regional Museum, Sukachev Art Museum the Sukachev Estate and the Nerpinary.

Kazan
Kazan is a attractive city, one of Russia's largest and the world's capital of Tatar (a Turkic ethnic group) culture. It is a major commercial, industrial and cultural centre that lies at the confluence of the Kazanka and Volga Rivers in central European Russia. Sites: Kazan Kremlin, Suyumbike Tower, Kul-Sharif Mosque, Annunciation Cathedral, Kazan State Hermitage Museum, State Museum of the Tatar State and the Republic of Tatarstan, Bauman Street.

Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny is Russia's fifth largest city and has a population of around 1.3 million. It is the cultural and economic centre of the vast Volga economic region. UNESCO included Nizhny on the list of 100 cities of the world which are of great cultural and historical value due to the presence of over six hundred unique historic, cultural and architectural monuments in the city.

Saint Petersburg
Nicknamed 'Venice of the North', Saint Petersburg is Russia's second and Europe's fourth largest city with a population of 4.7 million. It is located on the Neva River at the top of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea and is one of the world's top travel destinations. The city is impressive and was formerly Russia's cultural and political centre for 200 years (1713-1728, 1732-1918). Top sites: The Hermitage Museum/The Winter Palace, Russian Museum/The Mikhail Palace, Peter and Paul Fortress, The Admiralty, Menshikov's Palace, Navy Museum, the bridges on the Neva, Museum of Ethnography and Anthropology, Alexander Nevskiy Monastery, Museum of Artillery, Combat Engineers and Signal Troops, Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, Our-Lady-of-Kazan Cathedral, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Smolny Institute and Peter the Great's Cabin.

Sochi
Sochi is Russia's Black Sea beach resort city, just north of the southern Russian border. Sochi has a population of around 395,000 and is due to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Visitors are attracted by its subtropical climate and numerous monuments, parks and extravagant Stalinist architecture. Attractions: Caucasian Biosphere Reserve, Michael Archangel Cathedral, Sochi Art Museum, Arboretum, The Winter Theatre, The Maritime Passenger Terminal, The Railway Terminal Station and The Riviera Park

Vladivostok
Vladivostok is Russia's largest port city on the Pacific Ocean. It is home to the Russian Pacific Fleet and is the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway. It has a population of about 600,000. From 1958 to 1991, only Soviet citizens were allowed to live in or visit Vladivostok and even then, only with official permission. Things to see: The Pacific Fleet, Vladivostok Aquarium, Arsenev Regional History Museum and the Pacific Fleet Military Museum.

About Russia - Country, Climate, Tourism and Attractions

Russia is a transcontinental country that extends over much of northern Eurasia. It is by far the largest country in the world and spans twelve time zones.

It is home to over 142 million people which makes it the ninth largest country by population.
Russia is bordered by:
1. Northwest - Finland and Norway
2. West - Poland, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine and Latvia
3. Southwest - Azerbaijan and Georgia
4. South - China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan
5. Southeast - North Korea and China

Russia is a country rich in natural resources such as gas, oil, coal, gold and platinum but despite its size, most of the country lacks the proper soils and climates suitable for agriculture.

Climate
There are vast climate ranges in Russia, from sub-humid, semiarid (steppe) climate in the south to variable weather patterns and large seasonal temperature changes (continental) in most of European Russia. Siberia is subarctic with long, very cold winters and brief, warm summers. The polar north has a tundra climate with no month having an average temperature of 10°C or higher.

Tourism
Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991, tourism in Russia has been growing rapidly.
The most popular cities are Moscow and St. Petersburg, likely because they have some of the most famous attractions in Russia.
If you're traveling to Russia, you are required to purchase a visa beforehand as well as having a valid passport.

Attractions

The Red Square - the most famous city square in Moscow and often considered the central square of Russia.

The Kremlin - a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow which serves as the official residence of the President of Russia.

The State Hermitage Museum - one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, with 3 million works of art.

St. Basil's Cathedral - a multi-tented church on the Red Square in Moscow that also features distinctive onion domes.

The Peter and Paul Cathedral - lies inside a fortress of the same name which is the first and oldest landmark in St. Petersburg.

The Summer Palace - the Russian royal residences in Saint Petersburg.

The Church of the Savior on Blood - one of the main Russian Orthodox churches of St. Petersburg.

The Russian Museum - the largest repository of Russian fine art in St. Petersburg.