Zalivnoe

Maia Nikitina is a writer and Russian language translator. Russian food is one of the most diverse and fascinating in the world. It developed over hundreds of years, zalivnoe Christianity and the changes that it brought, as well as pagan foods and culinary traditions. Due to the cold weather that lasted up to nine months in some areas, Russians prepared their winter food in advance, during the summer, making various preserves, pickles, jams, and salted, dried or smoked meat and fish.

In Soviet times, when store shelves were often empty, many Russians relied on the pickled fruit and vegetables that they had grown themselves at their country plots. Many foods were prepared in the summer and used during the six to nine cold months of winter. This created a fascinating culinary tradition with hundreds of recipes of pickles, salted, dried or smoked meat and fish, and foods that kept for months, such as pelmeni. Many Russian dishes originated as a way of utilizing leftovers but became everyday staples.

Russian pierogi and other baked foods were originally made on special occasions or as part of a religious ritual. Borscht is arguably the most well-known Russian dish in the West, although it is usually incorrectly translated as beetroot soup, which doesn’t make it sound as great as it really is. Made with meat and vegetables that usually include potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, garlic, and beetroot, borscht is a staple dish of the Russian culture. There are various versions of its origin, including that it came into Russian cuisine from Ukraine, where it is also extremely popular. Nowadays, a little bit of sautéed or otherwise prepared beetroot is added at the very end of the cooking process. There are countless versions of borscht recipes, with each cook convinced that theirs is the right one.

It can be made with mushrooms, with or without meat, using red meat or poultry, and even fish. Although originally borscht was a dish for the commoners, Russian royalty soon fell in love with it. Catherine The Great called it her favorite meal and had a special chef at the palace to make it for her. Similar to the Italian ravioli, the pelmeni is another staple food, which appeared in Russian cooking around the 14th century.