Russian Food and Drink
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Russian Food is very much a
product of the Russian climate and environment. With short bountiful growing
seasons and long harsh winters, Russian diet traditionally consisted of
milled grains, storable produce (like potatoes, beets, carrots and cabbage),
plus fish, poultry, beef, pork and game.
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These
traditional staples (meat, potatoes,bread, eggs and fish) still comprise the key
ingredients in Russian food today.
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Below you will find a
typical Russian menu, including...
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Menu items written in Russian, so you know what to
look for on the menu while ordering.
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Links to popular
Russian recipes.
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Links to Russian Grocery Stores, so you can order hard to find Russian food products online.
We also provide a
printable Russian-English culinary dictionary (pdf file) to use while frequenting
Russian cafes and restaurants. In order to download and print for later use,
simply right click on the link above and select "Save Target As..."
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Russian Menu - Меню
2. Soups - Супы
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Cheap Eats
Eating a good hot lunch can be quite
inexpensive in
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Typical Russian Menu
- Appetizers
- Закуски
I. Salads - Салаты
Olivier
Salad (Russian Potato Salad) - Оливье
o
A flexible salad composed of boiled potatoes, vegetables,
often with meat, mixed
in mayonnaise.
often with meat, mixed
in mayonnaise.
o
This salad is the creation of a French chef, M. Olivier, who in
the 1860s opened a fashionable restaurant in Moscow
o
see recipe for Olivier Salad
Crab
Stick Salad - Салат из крабовых палочек
o
Salad with rice (or pasta), boiled eggs, sweet corn and diced
crab (imitation or otherwise), mixed in mayonnaise.
o
see Crab Stick Salad recipe
o
order Russian crab meat
Herring
Under a Fur Coat - Сельдь под шубой
o
Also known as Fish under a Fur Coat (Рыба
под шубой),
its a Russian favorite. Ingredients include herring fillets, potatoes, carrots,
beets, eggs and mayonnaise.
o
see recipe for Herring Under a Fur Coat
Vinigret Salad - Винегрет
o
Another Russian food favorite, the Vinigret is an excellent
vegetarian salad. Recipe for Russian Vinigret Salad.
II. Cold starters - Холодные
закуски
Kholodets
(Headcheese) - Холодец
o
Pieces of chopped meat in a set jelly, mixed with spices and
garlic.
o
Also known as Studynets by Ukrainians.
o
see recipe for Chicken Kholodets
Salo
(Salted Pork Fat) - Сало
o
Salted and often seasoned pork fat, Salo is traditionally a
Ukrainian delicatessen widely consumed by Russians.
o
Purchase traditional Ukrainian Salo.
Pickles
- Соления
o
Pickles, also known as salted cucumbers (соленые
огурцы),
are a popular Russian food snack with vodka.
Marinated
Mushrooms - Грибы маринованные
o
Russians not only like to pickle mushrooms and cucumbers, but
tomatoes (помидоры), garlic (чеснок), beets (свеклы)
and an assortment of other vegetables.
o
buy pickled tomatoes and pickled garlic.
Red
Caviar - Красная икра
o
Also called: Salmon
Eggs (Икра лососевая).
o
buy Russian red caviar
Black
Caviar - Черная икра
o
Also called: Caviar
of Sturgeon (Икра осетра).
o
buy Russian black caviar
Smoked
Salmon - Копчёный лосось
o
Also look for Turbot (Палтус), Sea Bass (Капитан),
Rybets (Сиг), Osetrina (Осетрина), Trout (Форель),
Shad (Шэд) and Eel (Угорь).
o
purchase Russian smoked fish
Meat
Assortment - Мясное ассорти
o
Cold meats in an assortment or on their own.
o
tongue (язык), boiled pork (буженина), fore shank (рулька),
chicken roll (рулет куриный), bacon (бекон).
Kubasa
(Sausage or Salami) - Колбаса
o
Kubasa (Canadian spelling) is a smoked meat sausage with
spices and garlic, common in Russia
& Ukraine
o
order Russian sausage online
III. Hot starters - Горячие
закуски
Pancakes
with Caviar - Блины с икрой
o
with Black Caviar (с черной икрой)
o
with Red Caviar (с красной икрой)
o
order black and red caviar online
Pancakes
with Meat - Блины с мясом
o
Varying types of meat from chicken to sausage and ham, rolled in
pancakes (crapes) known as blini (блины).
Mushrooms
Baked in SmetanaГрибы запеченные с сметаной
o
A popular hot appetizer. Served in a small metal dish with
mushrooms baked into smetana (sour cream).
Chicken
Wings - Крылышки Calamari
(Squid) - Кальмары Shrimp
- Креветки- Russian
Soups - Супы
Borscht
- Борщ
o
A vegetable soup most commonly made with beets and often with
meat. See popular Borscht recipe.
Okroshka
- Окрошка
o
A cold soup based on kvas, green onion, herbs and spices such as
black pepper, mustard or horse radish.
o
see recipe for Okroshka
Shchi
- Щи
o
Cabbage soup. See Russian food recipe for Shchi.
Ukha
- Уха
o
A fish soup cooked with potatoes and other vegetables.
Rassolnyk
- Рассольник
o
A tart sorrel soup sometimes served with kidneys.
Mushroom
Soup - Грибной суп
o
Unlike the mushroom soup you find in a Cambell's can, Russian
mushroom soup is usually a simple, wholesome soup with mushrooms, onions,
carrots, potatoes, and a spoonful of sour cream upon serving.
o
see recipe for Russian Mushroom Soup
Solyanka
with meat - Солянка мясная
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A thick meat based soup with pickle juice.
Solyanka
with fish - Солянка рыбная
o
A thick fish based soup with pickle juice.
- Main
Courses - Горячие Блюда
Goluptsi
(Cabbage Rolls) - Голубцы
o
Seasoned ground beef and rice filling stuffed inside boiled
cabbage leaves. Sweet pepper shells are also a popular alternative to cabbage.
o
see recipe for Russian Goluptsi
Shashlyk
(Shish kebab) - Шашлык
o
Marinated meat cooked on a skewer.
o
Popularity in Russia
originated in the late 19th century from Central Asian and Caucasus
regions.
o
Choices often include "Shashlyk from" (Шашлыки из): beef (говядины), veal (телятины),
chicken (курицы), mutton (баранины) and fish (рыбы).
o
see recipe for Russian Shashlyk
Blini
with Tvorog - Блины с творогом
o
Blini are Russian pancakes
or crapes, while Tvorog is cottage cheese curds (the filling
of the crape).
o
Some Russians, Ukrainians, Poles and Canadians also use the term Nalesniki (Налесники).
Pelmeni
- Пельмени
o
A traditional Russian dish made with minced meat filling,
wrapped in thin dough dumplings.
o
see Russian food recipe for Pelmeni
Vareniki
- Вареники
o
Ukrainian dumplings made with different fillings including
mashed potatoes, sour cabbage, tvorog or berries.
o
Vareniki are the same kind of dumplings found throughout
Canadian supermarkets, better known as Perogies.
o
see recipe for Potato Mushroom Vareniki
Pirozhki
- Пирожки
o
Small dough buns or pies stuffed with variable fillings.
Traditional fillings include Pirozhki
with (Пирожки
с)...
o
Fish (рыбой) sautéed with onions
and mixed with hard-boiled chopped eggs.
o
Meat (мясом) boiled and chopped,
then mixed with sautéed onions and eggs.
o
Potato (картошкой) mashed, then mixed
with eggs and smetana (sour cream).
o
Cabbage (капустой) sautéed, plus egg
and spices.
Chebureki
- Чебуреки
o
A popular Russian food that originated in Georgia
o
Chebureki consist of a thin layer of dough and seasoned ground
meat filling, deep-fried in a pan of oil.
Draniki
- Драники
o
A popular dish said to have originated in Belarus
o
see recipe for Draniki with Fish
Kotleti
- Котлеты
o
Fried meat cutlets, not dissimilar to Salisbury steak.
Chicken
o
A dish of boneless chicken breast pounded and rolled around cold
unsalted butter, then breaded and fried.
o
Russian food recipe for Chicken Kiev
Beef
Stroganoff - Говядина по-строгановски
o
Sautéed pieces of beef served in a sour cream sauce.
- Side
Dishes & Dressings - Гарниры и заправки
Rice
with Vegetables - Рис с овощами Steamed
Vegetables - Овощи паровые Grilled
Vegetables - Овощи гриль Mashed
Potatoes - Картофельное пюре
Spaghetti-pasta
- Паста-спагетти Cooked
Buckwheat - Гречневая каша
o
Eaten in Russia
Smetana
(Sour Cream) - Сметана Mayonnaise
- Майонез Salad
Oil - Масло растительное Tomato
Ketchup - Кетчуп Butter
- Масло
сливочное Mustard
- Горчица Horseradish
- Хрен Cocktail
Sauce - Соус коктейльный Olive
Oil - Масло оливковое Soya
Sauce - Соевый соус- Russian
Dessert - Десерт
Tvorog
- Творог
o
A type of cottage cheese, tvorog is a tasty Russian treat when
eaten with honey (мёд) or jam (варенье).
Syrniki
- Сырники
o
Popular for both dessert and breakfast, they consist of tvorog
fried on a sauce-pan. The outsides of these "tvorog patties" become
crispy, while the center is warm and creamy. Served with a spoonful of sour
cream.
Sirok
- Сырок
o
A treat that tastes similar to cheesecake. Sirok is basically tvorog coated in
chocolate or other sweat coatings.
Blini
- Блины
o
A thin Russian pancake (or crape), that is eaten for dessert
with honey or jam. Here's a popular Blini recipe.
Oladi
- Оладьи
o
Oladi are also pancakes, but much thicker than Blini. Oladi
resemble pancakes in the west (while blini are more like crapes). Eaten with
butter, honey and/or jam.
Cake
- Торт
o
There are many varieties of cake, from moist to puffy, while
most are fairly sweet. Some cakes are made without flour and use ground walnuts
or almonds instead.
o
order favorite Russian cakes online
Ice
Cream - Мороженое
o
No matter the season, even in the dead of winter at minus 20
below zero, Russians love their ice cream.
o
Popular varieties of ice cream: Vanilla (Ванильное), Strawberry (Клубничное), Peppermint (Мятное), Chocolate (Шоколадное), Blueberry (Черничное), Pistachio (Фисташковое), Raspberry (Малиновое), Caramel (Карамельное), Plum (Сливовое).
Jelly
- Желе
o
Jellied fruit from the likes of cherries, pears and plums is a
popular Russian food served for dessert.
Halva
- Халва
o
A popular Russian treat with origins from the Middle
East . Halva is basically a high calorie spread or paste made from
sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or various nuts.
o
purchase halva from
online Russian food store.
Zefir
- Зефир
o
Sweet and fluffy marshmallow treat popular in Russia
o
purchase Russian Zefir online
- Russian
Drinks - Напитки
Beer
- Пиво
o
Beer on tap - Разливное пиво
o
Beer from bottles - Пиво в бутылках
o
Unfiltered Beer - Пиво нефильтрованное
o
Imported Beer - Пиво импортированное
o
While drinking beer, Russians & Ukrainians often snack ondry salted fish (рыбка
солено-сушеная) and shrimp (креветка) or smoked calamari (кальмары копчёные).
Wine
- Вино
o
Red wine - Красное вино
o
White wine - Белое вино
o
Blush wine - Розовое вино
o
Port - Портвайн
o
Some popular wine in Russia: Moldovan (молдовское), Bulgarian (болгарское), Californian (калифорнское), Australian (австралийское), Crimean (крымское), Georgian (грузинское), Argentinean (аргентинское), Italian (итальянское), French (французское).
Vodka
- Водка
o
Russian vodka ("little water"), generally has an
alcohol content of 40% (USA
o
Good Russian vodka is derived from grains, potato or sugar beat
molasses.
Samogon
- Самогон
o
Samogon is homemade Russian vodka. Like moonshine in the west,
it usually has a very high alcohol content.
o
Not found on the menu in restaurants, it is nevertheless, quite
popular amongst friends when drinking at home.
o
After vodka, cognac is the second most popular spirit you will
find on Russian tables.
Tequila
- Текила Whisky
- Виски Gin
- Джин Rum
- Ром Liqueurs
- Ликёры
I. Non alcohol drinks - Безалкогольные
напитки
Compote
- Компот
o
A light refreshing drink made by boiling fresh fruit with sugar,
then leaving it to cool and infuse.
o
Unlike juice, the original fruit or berry in Russian compote is
preserved in the juice. Buy compote online.
Juice
- Сок
o
Common varieties of juice: Orange
o
buy juice produced in Russia
Kvas
- Квас
o
A dark, fizzy, slightly sour-tasting drink made from bread or
grain in a similar process to brewing beer. Very refreshing when drank cold on
a hot summer day.
o
buy kvas online: RussianTable.com
Kefir
- Кифир
o
Kefir is a fermented milk drink with varying degrees of sour,
depending on how long it has fermented.
Milk
- Молоко
o
Chocolate milk - Молоко шоколадное
o
White milk - Молоко белое
Milkshake
- Молочный Коктейль
o
A few common flavors: Chocolate (Шоколадный), Strawberry (Клубничный), Vanilla (Ванильный).
Mineral
Water - Вода минеральная
o
plain water (no carbonation) - вода без газа
o
carbonated water - вода с газом
Pop
(Soft Drinks) - Вода газированная
o
Coca Cola (Кока-Кола), Diet Coke (Кока-Кола Лайт), Sprite (Спрайт), Fanta (Фанта),
Red Bull (Ред Булл).
Tea
/ Coffee - Чай / Кофе
o
Russians love to sit around the table, drink tea or coffee and
eat chocolate & sweets.
Russia
o
Espresso - Эспрессо
o
Decaffeinated coffee - Кофе без кофеина
o
American coffee - Кофе Американский
o
Irish coffee - Кофе по-ирландски
o
Cappuccino - Капуччино
o
Jasmine tea - Чай Цветок Жасмин
o
Rose bud tea - Чай Шиповник
o
Earl Grey tea - Чай Эрл Грей
o
Green tea - Чай Зелёный
