Let me lead you through the streets of Moscow

by Anni Pelmeni

When you visit a foreign country, you are sure to try some national food. So lets talk a bit what to expect in Russia. Russian cuisine is multifacet as there are many local specialities, but here is a section of what would be considered as traditional by most Russian people.

We eat a soup for a midday meal. It is normal. We are used to this since childhood. And this soup is not of puree type, rather we prefer bouillon with lots of meat and vegetables. The usual offers for tourists are borsch and okroshka. And usually foreign guest are unanimous in their assessments of these two soups: they like borsh and dislike okroshka.

The recipes below might give you the clues about this preference. But I'd like to underline that Russian love okroshka. We always have it for some dinners. Why? May be because it is something we eat since childhood.

Borsch: this is a main soup in Russian cuisine. Though there are standardized techniques how to make it proper, every households has one or two secretes passed from generation to generation. Borsch is a vegetable soup made on a meat bouillon, the vegetables usually include potatoes, cabbage, onion, carrots, beets, tomatoes. This soup must be very thick so that a spoon put in the middle of a plate would not fall down. Served with sour crème, dill and parsley and garlic.

Okroshka aka summer soup: it is a special soup that is usually served only in summer when the heat is too much to eat any fat, meat-based soups. Okroshka is a kvas-based soup. If you are in Moscow during summer you will surely notice and maybe even try kvas – a very special beverage made through brewing of bread. It is non-alcoholic and has a very unique taste. To make okroshka kvas is mixed with cooked potatoes, cooked meat, boiled eggs, fresh cucumbers. You should give it a try, but the taste might be a bit buzzard for your liking as you are not used to it.

I can give you later on a step-by-step report about preparing a real-life borsch on a real-life Russian kitchen. Pity you cannot hear the smells, or you'd be over in Russia in no time.

Stumbe it!