Russian+Food


 * Borscht**: A thick reddish soup made of either a tomato or beet base and beef, and optionally added pork or chicken along with lots of veggies, herbs, and potatoes. Russian men say that "a spoon must stand" in a good borscht, implying that it should be extra thick. It may be served hot or cold, but is most popularly served hot in Russia because of the freezing temperatures. Borscht is popularly eaten with bread or sour cream, or both!


 * Shashlik**: Basically a Russian shish kebab, except that they are marinated overnight in a high-aciditiy marine (like vinegar, dry wine, sour fruit/vegetable juice) with herbs and spices. Shashlik's consist of all meat (beef, pork, or lamb), all fat, or alternating both meat and fat, or even mixed with vegetables. Shashlik are often eaten out in nature over an open fire, like Igor mentions he enjoys doing while in Russia.

**Pelmeni:** Russian ravioli. Pelmeni are pieces of meat mixed with onion and some other ingredients. These pieces are covered with unleavened dough, then get frozen. To cook them, you boil salted water, put them in, and wait until they pop up on the surface. Usually, cooking takes no more than ten minutes. Russians like to eat them with sour cream.

**Dressed Herring** (Herring under Fur coat): A traditional salad dish served on New Years and Christmas, it is layered with diced salted herring, mayonnaise, chopped onions, grated boiled vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and beet roots. 

**Pierogi**: Russian dumplings made with unleavened dough in a half moon shape. It requires stuffing usually done in a myriad of combinations with either mashed potatoes, cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, meat, mushrooms, spinach, or really anything you want. The dessert version includes fresh fruit fillings like cherry, strawberry, saskatoon berry, raspberry, blueberry, peach, plum, apples, or prunes. The Pierogi are boiled, fried, or baked after stuffing, and then served with anything like melted butter, sour cream, or garnished with small pieces of fried bacon, onions, or mushrooms. The dessert version is sometimes served with apple sauce. 