Russian cuisine is based off the peasant food of the rural population that had to deal with a harsh, long-lasting winter. Traditional Russian food is meant to fatten people up in preparation for the long winter ahead and has more carbohydrates and fat than proteins. Not entirely sure what to expect, we found a variety of rich and flavorful dishes. In no particular order, here are 10 things to taste in Russia (and since we didn’t find very many menus in English, I’ve included their names in Russian):
Pelmeni filled with wild boar and topped with sour cream
1. Pelmeni (пельмени)
Pelmeni are a pastry dumpling typically filled with meat. They can be served several ways: alone, slathered in butter, topped with sour cream, or served in a broth. I tried them a couple times, though my favorite were served in a broth, filled with wild boar, and topped with sour cream.
Where to get it: Trapeznaya in the Kremlin, Suzdal.
Borscht
2. Borscht (борщ)
Borscht is a hearty soup made with julienned beetroot, which gives it a burgundy or purple color, beef broth, cabbage, and meat. It’s usually eaten as an appetizer, though in warmer temperatures like we had in Moscow and St. Petersburg, is filling enough for a meal, especially when eaten with black bread. Never one for the odd purple colored beets that were ever present in big jars at the butcher’s as a kid (Though, honestly. What kid willingly eats beets?), I was surprised how much I liked Borscht. I think I had it nearly every meal and I never had a bad Borscht.
Where to get it: Just about any restaurant.
Blini with apricot jam
3. Blini (блины)
Blini are thin pancakes, almost like a crepe, said to symbolize the sun – warm, round, and golden. In Russia, they are made from buckwheat and come in savory or sweet varieties. Blini are beloved and eaten everywhere. No, really. Russians even have a week long festival called Maslenitsa just to celebrate this staple of Russian cuisine. We had them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We both preferred the sweet to the savory with our favorite being ones served with fruit jam.
Where to get it: Just about any restaurant, though the best we had were the blini with jam at Trapeznaya in the Kremlin, Suzdal.
Pirogi at Stolle Cafe
4. Pirog (пиро́г)
Pirogi (plural) shouldn’t be confused with Polish pierogi; they are entirely different. Pirogi are Russian pies that are filled with savory or sweet fillings. The puff pastry-like crusts are beautifully decorated in floral patterns almost too pretty to cut into. Almost. I had a small slice of mushroom so I’d also have room for a small slice of apricot. Tim had a slice of beef pie and cranberry for dessert. Hello, pirog party in my mouth!
Where to get it: Stolle Cafe Konushenny Lane 1/6, St. Petersburg
Solyanka
5. Solyanka (соля́нка)
Solyanka is a heartier soup, more like a stew. There are basically three varieties: fish, meat, or mushroom. We had the meat with fine cut pickles, onions, herbs and spices all mixed with sour cream in a little pot.
Where to get it: Any restaurant serving traditional Russian food.
Medovukha
6. Medovukha (Медовуха)
Wild honey farming was one of the first Slavic trades and they discovered that it could be fermented. Medovukha is a type of alcoholic mead made from honey and is the most famous drink in Suzdal. Dating back to Pagan times, it was originally only drunk by nobility because it was very expensive to produce, since it took between 5 to 20 years to ferment. Most modern medovukha producers are proud that their beverages are made only from natural ingredients and they speed up the fermentation process by heating it.
Where to get it: You can taste medovukha at the shop inside the Kremlin; you can also purchase it there.
Tula Gingerbread at a market in Moscow
7. Tula Gingerbread (пряничный)
Gingerbread is baked all over Russia, but the most famous comes from Tula (hence the name, Tula gingerbread). The printed Tula gingerbread is a Russian delicacy decorated with various artistic scenes on them. The gingerbread is soft and usually filled with jam or honey. They make an excellent edible souvenir!
Where to get it: Many of the daily town markets or at grocery stores.
Russian Gerber Baby?
8. Alenka Chocolate (Алёнка)
Alenka chocolate is the most recognizable brand of Russian chocolate. Probably because of a big smiling baby on the packaging. Alenka has been produced since 1965 and was first made as part of a socialist food program and mass produced affordable milk chocolate. The company wanted to find just the right packaging for the bar of milk chocolate, so held a competition which was advertised in the Moscow newspaper. The 8-month old baby girl that still adorns the wrapper today was the winner. Rumor has it that the baby girl was actually Svetlana Allilueva, Stalin’s daughter.
Where to get it: Most grocery stores and at the airport.
Omelet and red caviar for breakfast!
9. Caviar (икра)
Caviar has traditionally been associated with luxury and wealth, so it’s not surprising that a lot of caviar is consumed in Russia. Black caviar, from sturgeon roe, is the rarest and costliest type of caviar and it is extremely popular in Russia. The red salmon caviar is also popular. We didn’t get to try the famed black caviar, which can be sold for up to $5500 per kilogram, but we had our fill of red caviar since it was served at breakfast each morning at the Lotte Hotel Moscow.
Where to get it: High-end restaurants and some supermarkets like Yeliseevsky in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
At that price, must be good, right?
10. Vodka (водка)
More than 70% of all alcohol consumed in Russia is vodka. According to a legend (Russia sure has a lot of them!), around 1430, a monk named Isidore from Chudov Monastery inside the Moscow Kremlin made the first Russian vodka. Vodka for exclusively produced only in Moscow for a very long time. Nowadays, you can find vodka anywhere. And not just any vodka! There’s horseradish vodka, blueberry vodka, red pepper vodka, honey vodka…the list goes on and the vodka section of a menu often reads like a wine list. Not into the “burning wine”? Try Russian champagne or sparkling wine like a Bourjois Muskat instead.
Where to get it: If you can’t find vodka, you must not be in Russia!
For more foodie inspiration, visit Foodie Tuesdays on Inside Journeys.
Reader question: Which of these 10 things to taste in Russia would you most like to try?
Val says
OK, to be honest, I think I’d have to survive on vodka if I traveled there…I guess that’s not too bad!
Nastya says
You’ll certainly die then.I assure you.))pelmeny are the best way to servive here!(I know,believe me, as I’m a student)
Kay says
This is a really Must Try list of Russian food, Jennifer. Well done! I would only add “Golubtsy” (Cabbage rolls) to it. Maybe instead of Vodka 😉
Jennifer Dombrowski says
There are SO many salads too. I was actually quite surprised at the variety. I read another blogger who had traveled through Russia about 2 years ago and she complained of eating nothing but tomatoes. Wasn’t the case for us at all!
Angela Turner says
That is a bit confusing chocolate wrapping. Being in foreigner I would think that was some sort of chocolates for babies. The food looks marvelous!
Jeremy says
Woah! Unique and totally interesting selection! I would LOVE to try that boar dish! And load up the sour cream!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I’m a sour cream fan to begin with, though sour cream will never be the same after the delicious sour cream I had in Russia! It has a more mild taste. And the wild boar dumplings were SO good.
Mandy says
Oh yum. That all sounds great, especially the blini and pelmeni. I loved seeing the names in Russian too. I can read Serbian Cyrillic so much make a point to learn those last couple of additional Russian letters one day.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Being able to read Cyrillic will make things so much easier for you when you visit Russia! There were actually quite a lot of words we understood when spoken since they were close to their Italian counterparts. It was not being familiar with the alphabet that really through us off. We figured it out, though!
Ali says
I might struggle a bit with food whenever we do get to Russia, but some of this doesn’t sound too bad. I think I’ll skip the caviar though.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
In Moscow, there is an amazing Mexican restaurant we stumbled upon. It was literally better than some Tex-Mex I’ve had in Phoenix! You’d love it. You could eat there every day. 😉
Kenin Bassart says
There’s only one thing to say about this post. nom nom nom I’ll take one of each please!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
With all the walking we did, surprisingly I didn’t put on any weight from all the rich food either.
Marcia says
Except for the chocolate and omelet, I’d try everything here. Those pastries look delicious too. And who could go to Russia and not have vodka? Hope you tried some and the champagne.
Thanks for linking up this week, Jennifer, and introducing us to these must-try items.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I didn’t try the vodka, sadly. Tim had plenty thought and we did have the champagne! But I came down with a horrible chest cold that turned into bronchitis on day 3 of our trip. Of course, Russians have a cold remedy involving vodka but it was too late for me. They said vodka would only make it worse. And I had paid a visit to the Russian pharmacist who had prescribed some medicine. Not entirely knowing what the medicines were, we didn’t think it was a good idea to mix alcohol with the medicine. I did NOT want to find out what a Russian hospital was like.
The Happy Travel Bug says
Would love to try it all!
noel says
What a great collection of goodies, I’ve never tried Pelmeni, i’ll have to look for it when I go to a Russian bakery in SF soon.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Ironically, pelmeni are like Polish pierogi. Quite tasty. I’d love to be able to find them, even frozen, to make at home.
Jo Carroll says
Daughter went to Russia with the school – about 20 years ago now. She doesn’t eat meat – and told us she ate cabbage soup, cabbage stew, fried cabbage, braised cabbage, cabbage on toast, cabbage mains with cabbage on the side … she lots almost half a stone in the week (but it didn’t put her off travelling – hurrah!!)
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Admittedly, Russia isn’t the easiest place for a vegetarian. There was a vegetarian in our tour group and she had a bit of a hard time. Good for your daughter! If you really want to visit a place, you just figure it out.
Christy says
They all look delicious. Especially the Blini. Yum!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
It really all was very good and flavorful! I wasn’t expecting that. And Moscow and St. Petersburg also both have awesome international food scenes. If Russian food isn’t your thing, you can find just about any cuisine.
Nancie M says
Everything looks delicious. I didn’t realize the Russia was big on gingerbread!
Neva Fels says
When my son’s wife and mother-in-law cook for us, we need to diet for a month afterwards. You captured all the love put into the Russian cooking skills.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I can imagine, Neva! It’s amazing that the Russian women in particular are so svelte with all the rich food they eat!
Nancie says
Now I’m hungry…one of each please 🙂
Jennifer Dombrowski says
The words of a true foodie. 😉
Turtle says
I think it all actually looks quite good! It’s probably easy just to dismiss Russian food as ‘peasant food’ but there seem to be some real delicacies there. Oh, and yes, then there’s the vodka… 🙂
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I agree! At least, these dishes certainly feel like delicacies anyway. The pies were so simple, yet a lot clearly goes into baking them with the intricate designs.
Beth says
All of these foods sound so amazing. So far I love Russian food although I’ve only tried a few of the things you listed. Not too sure about the caviar though… I think it’s just a texture things for me, but I’ve never enjoyed it!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Tim wasn’t really a fan of the caviar either. I like it in small amounts and combined with the right things, it can be delicious.
Jennifer says
There's definitely something for knowing the story of the packing, thanks to our wonderful G Adventures guide!
Jennifer says
I didn't either! In Tula where the gingerbread is most famous, there is even a museum dedicated to gingerbread. We didn't visit Tula, but did enjoy gingerbread a few times.
Jennifer says
Sounds like you would get along just fine with the Russians then! 😉 There's actually a lot of international cuisines available if Russian food isn't your thing.
Jennifer says
We always at least give the local food a try. Best way to connect with the culture!
Heather says
This all sounds so good! I already love borscht and can’t wait to try the rest of these dishes. Love that they have their own version of pirogi!!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
The pirogi and borscht were definitely my faves. I could eat them every day!
Mike says
Jennifer…..LOL re: Russian Gerber Baby. That was funny! That is so cool how you added in all of the Russian spellings to each section. Oh my gosh, I want a tasting menu of each one! The breakfast, pirogi and blini were my favorites! 🙂
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks, Mike! Believe me, the Russian for each of these dishes will come in handy if you ever go! We didn’t find many menus in English.
Mollie Dwortzan Mandell says
We took our children to St. Petersburg recently and enjoyed a few of the items you listed. Now we have reason to go back to try some of the rest! Thx!
Lauren says
I’m not sure if you could answer this, but do you know if there were many vegetarian items available in restaurants in Russia? Thanks!
Frank says
Nice post Jen, all looks really good. Especially the vodka.
Frank
Devlin @ Marginal Boundaries says
So many delicious things, where’s my drool emoji at dangit.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
We really were pleasantly surprised by the food!
Fisher says
All of these in this list look so delicious, i want to taste all of them. Thanks for your best article!
Alison says
Great heads up! Will be able to avoid wheat products quite easily by the looks of things. So looking forwards to this. If only my stress of getting the visas will be eased soon. We will be travelling quite hard for 2 months before we enter Russia and one is not able to get visas more than three months out. So many Russian public holidays in March (our only opportunity before we leave Australia) that we think we will have to pay double to fast track the visa!!
David Norriss says
Wow, I had no idea that black caviar can go for up to $5500 dollars a kilogram. I would love to try it though because it has to be delicious if it costs that much. Maybe one day I’ll be able to find a local Russian restaurant near me that sells it for a cheaper price.