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Because I'm curious
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Posted by: Aaron Chase

How good is Russian Cuisine anyway? I really don't know what to expect, since there hasn't been much exsposure of my taste buds to it. It's hard to find Russian restaraunts, so I know my Vera very much wants to cook for me, but I'm just wondering if anybody can "describe" how their food compares to what we're used to here in America and the west. What is in it, and what isn't.

Posted by: exlabman

Aaron,

I can only give you a vague idea of what the food is like because I was only exposed to restaurant food on my trip to Kiev in April. In general, they eat a lot of veggies, some pork, some chicken, fish and little beef. The bread is very course and heavy. All most no fried foods I went to one place quite a few times and it was basically a cafeteria that was frequented by Ukrainians( it was good because I spoke no Russian so I could just point at what I wanted) I did pay attention to what the people were eating and found it to be interesting. They eat a lot of soup, mostly borsch, which is a vegetable soup made with a stock made from beets. There were many varieties some of which had some meat in it. The also eat a lot of salads but unlike a salad here in USA there was no lettuce in the salads. Just varying assortments of carrots, squash, radishes, cucumbers, mushrooms, corn, potatoes, maybe some tomatoes. The dressings were very lite mostly made with yogurt or mayo or oil and vinegar. But no Ranch or Blue Chesse or French etc. Stuffed cabbage leaves were popular, some with meat and rice some with veggies. The also make a dish that is similar to Ravioli. I am sure that the diet is the main reason that I saw no "fat" people at all, men or women, Pan fried potatoes, we would call them home fries, and some steamed veggies would be eaten with the meat or fish.I found the food tasty with very little spicyness. Sadly the "western" culture is moving in with McDonalds ( Big Mac, fries and coke $2 and exactly the same as in USA ), TexMex, T.G. Fridays, etc. I found it funny in McD's that as soon as they realized I was American they would ask if I wanted ketchsup for my fries.

Larry
Atlanta
1st NOA 5/23/03, TSC

Hope this answer will help.

Posted by: myshka

How good is Russian cuisine? I mean, if you dont like sushi, then sushi is not very good but to others its the ultimate in deliciousness, right? So how good Russian cuisine is, depends on your personal taste.
You are in an area with many Russian stores and places to eat Russian food. Go to Pike Place Market, there are two places there to sample Russian cuisine. One is right on the street, Piroshky Piroshky. They have many different pirozhok, kinda sorta Americanized but you can get an idea. Then go to Cafe Yarmarka, which is inside one of the buildings, cant remember which one since i only know how to get there, not the names of the bldgs. but its on the same side of the street as Piroshky Piroshky, opposite the side with the pig and the fish thrower/catchers.
This cafe has pelmeni, borsch, pirozhky etc. Try this out.
Check out all the Russian stores (ok, they are really all Ukrainians) They are everywhere from Bellevue to Kent to Everett to Lynnwood etc.

Posted by: andrei

I can't compare it to your American cuisine but I can describe it easily.

Breakfast is at 8 or 9 am, lunch is at 1 or 2 pm, dinner at 6-7 pm, and men also have supper at 10 pm usually, women that wish to stay slim (and our women usually do) never eat after 7 pm.

Prepare for a soup every dinner (it may be either shchi or borsch or any other regular soup or ukha - fish soup).

An entree is a fair amount of beef or pork (usually roasted) with baked or fried potatoes (it may vary widely, but usually it is so). If your woman is from Ural or Siberia or the Far East, she may make pelmeni ("Siberian meat dumplings", hahaha).

Our sandwiches are three times bigger than yours and we never cover them with a second piece of bread like those fools at McDonalds do. We eat them with black tea or coffee. For the past five years we are getting used to the green tea too.

Get ready for big amounts of everything. A big plate of salad (salad may contain mayonnaise, potatoes, sausage, apples, carrots, anything), a big deep plate of soup, a wide plate of entree, a big cup (300 milliliters, I don’t know them pints/ounces) of tea, juice, or coffee.

Prepare for different types of snacks made of dough and some filling (meat, potatoes, eggs & rice, cabbage, anything). A woman usually cooks them when she has some extra time and a nice mood, or if it’s a holiday. Read more about them at the site that was mentioned in the Russian Cuisine thread.

And remember, with every meal we need fresh bread. ‘Fresh’ means that if it’s a dinner, I need bread that was made the previous evening. If it’s a supper, I need bread that was made today’s morning. Personally I just cant start eating my meal if I have no bread. I have to get dressed, run out to the store, get me some bread, return home and start eating.

And one more thing, vegetarians do exist in Russia, but when they’re trying to say something against eating beef or pork they get roars of laughter as a respond.

Posted by: klawsite

Hi Aaron,

I have never tried real Russian dishes my self. I have tried and like Chicken Kiev and others that were fixed here in the US . I am very interested to find out too.
Nadya wants to fix me her Belarussian dishes!! I can't wait to try them! She likes to use mushrooms alot, but I doubt they will be very available in December. Oh well. I am sure I will like her dishes anyway.

-Kevin

Posted by: golek

Larry,

The reason you saw no fat Russians, or Ukrainians, was not because of what they eat, but because of the smaller size of the portions and the fact that they actually walk places, unlike us Americans who will hop in the car to drive to the store a block away. To many Americans in today's society, walking somewhere is a foreign concept. We don't even build sidewalks anymore! In most commercial districts, crossing the street on foot is risking your life! It's lifestyle, not cuisine.

When my Olya came to visit me, she noticed as we drove around that the only time you see people outside is if they are walking to or from their car. Sad, but true.

Posted by: andrei

Moreover, in Russia even if you have a car (like me) you still need to walk to the parking every morning (like a mile away) and in the evening back home from the parking. If I need to drink a cup of beer I drive to my parking, leave the car there, walk to the bus stop, ride to the downtown, get off the bus and walk a little more. Thats why we stay fit, always.

Posted by: lulu

The food sounds so good!
I hope I get to try some "Siberian meat dumplings"

Posted by: klawsite

Eee gnads.. I mean gads!!!

Posted by: Jutman

My opnion its very tasty. Like the veggie,. In Russian many (almost them all) can't afford chemicals to fertilizer and percifide (???), so its very ecological.
About the bread. They like rye bread,wthats why on e here describe it as being heavy. However they have whitebread and for me, very good.

About the dishes !! Okay, I am a Dane, but almost all the food I saw is the same as in my country. If you don't like what she serve, tell her and go shop. You can go to a supermarket, but to my knowledge they switch the words supermarket and magazin. Ask for a magazin.

Are you into softdrink, they drink the same stuff as in US. However pepsi is the dominant brand. In Europe we use liter, most countries use 0,5, but in Russia Pepsi use 0,6 liter (biggest bottle = biggest on the market).
Are you int beer, they have a large variaty. Just take your time to find your taste. As an america, you perhaps should look at the alcohold percent. Remeber we europeans calculate it differently, but not much when we talk beer ( a normal is around 5%)

I think the biggest surprise would be the amount of food and that large chops of fat on meat.

Posted by: dknew

While in Kazakhstan I had almost all Russian meals and never found anything I didn't like, Even the mushrooms never bothered me

.
I can tell you they where the best meals I have ever had.

Posted by: Dennis/Natasha

Here is what i have found... Natasha cooks well even when she thinks it is turned out to be "Muck" - her words not mine.

Once she cooked a national dish and because of the the problems of finding the correct ingredients in the tropics, she substituted some items...in the end she said it turned out to be ..."Muck" I called it great!

Posted by: Jutman

Sorry. But I will post another link (I have no connection to site)

Try www.russianfoods.com It has many topics, like receipe. with picture.

So fare as I understand americans can ordre some russian products here.