What to eat in Russia

The list adapts to you

Answer the questions and only the items you need stay on the list. Your answers carry over to the app and the file.

• What else should the list cover? Desserts and pastriesNon-alcoholic drinksLocal alcohol

Items on the list: 22 of 22 · Show all

Work through the list in order. Hide the notes when you know what to do.

1. Try classic borscht with sour cream

   A deep-red, savory beetroot soup made on rich beef stock with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and garlic. Traditional spots serve it piping hot accompanied by a generous dollop of cold sour cream (*smetana*), fresh dill, and dark rye bread topped with cured pork lard (*salo*).

   Authentic borscht strikes a vibrant balance between sweet beet and tangy tomato. A meatless variation featuring forest mushrooms and white beans is widely served during fasting periods.

2. Try slow-simmered shchi (cabbage soup)

   The foundational Russian soup dating back over a thousand years, built on fresh or fermented sauerkraut simmered on bone broth. The most prized version is *sutochnye shchi* (overnight soup), rested for 24 hours to develop a complex, mellow tang.

   Order this at historical Russian restaurants or traditional taverns. It pairs seamlessly with a side of savory buckwheat porridge or small fish pastries.

3. Try Siberian pelmeni

   Handcrafted dumplings made of paper-thin unleavened dough wrapped around a juicy filling of minced beef, pork, and sometimes lamb with onions and crushed ice. Siberian tradition calls for serving them with melted butter, freshly cracked black pepper, vinegar, or sour cream.

   Best enjoyed at dedicated dumpling houses (*pelmennaya*). High-quality pelmeni must stay fully sealed so the flavorful broth stays locked inside until you bite.

4. Try beef stroganoff with mashed potatoes

   Tender beef tenderloin sliced into thin strips, seared over intense heat, and simmered gently in a rich sauce of caramelized onions, sour cream, and a touch of mustard. The classic accompaniment across Russia is silky mashed potatoes and barrel-cured pickles.

   Invented in 19th-century St. Petersburg for Count Stroganov, genuine stroganoff demands flash-frying so the meat remains exceptionally succulent without turning stew-tough.

5. Try chilled okroshka soup

   Russia's quintessential summer cooler, crafted from finely diced crisp cucumbers, radishes, boiled potatoes, eggs, heaps of dill and scallions, and cold meat. Diners choose between two distinct liquid bases: tart, unsweetened white bread kvass or tangy chilled kefir.

   Served strictly from May to August. Add a dash of pungent Russian prepared horseradish (*khren*) or spicy mustard to elevate the refreshing contrast.

6. Try thin blini with red caviar and butter

   Paper-thin, golden-laced crepes made from yeasted or milk batter and generously brushed with melted farm butter. The iconic celebratory filling across Russia is glistening red salmon caviar, cured salmon, or dense sour cream.

   Eaten year-round for breakfast and street snacks, blini take center stage during the pre-Lenten *Maslenitsa* carnival week. Always eat them fresh off the pan while steaming hot.

7. Try "herring under a fur coat" salad

   A legendary festive layered salad featuring finely chopped salted Atlantic herring blanketed beneath tiers of grated boiled potatoes, sweet carrots, hard-boiled eggs, and deep-purple beets lightly bound with mayonnaise. The profile unites salty cured fish with sweet root vegetables.

   A non-negotiable cornerstone of Russian New Year celebrations. High-grade versions are prepared a day in advance so the flavors meld into a velvet texture.

8. Try authentic Olivier salad

   The definitive Russian potato salad made with neatly diced boiled root vegetables, crisp barrel pickles, eggs, sweet canned peas, and boiled poultry or beef tossed in mayonnaise. Originally created in 19th-century Moscow, it became the nation's premier party dish.

   Upscale Moscow and St. Petersburg restaurants reconstruct historic recipes using beef tongue, capers, and crayfish tails, while local bistros serve the cozy Soviet standard.

9. Try baked yeast-dough pirozhki

   Handheld yeasted buns filled with savory stuffings: braised cabbage, minced meat, wild sautéed mushrooms, or chopped scallions with hard-boiled eggs. Baked versions boast a glossy egg-wash glaze, though crispy fried versions remain a beloved roadside classic.

   The best place to buy pirozhki is in historic monastery bakeries, railway stations, and local market confectioneries where warm batches arrive constantly.

10. Try pan-fried Baltic smelt (koryushka)

    Small, sweet-fleshed Baltic smelt famed for its distinct, uncanny aroma of freshly cut garden cucumber. Pan-dusted in seasoned flour and fried whole until crackling-crisp, it is the defining springtime gastronomic symbol of St. Petersburg.

    The brief season peaks strictly in April and May along the Neva River. Locals eat them hot right from paper cones, bones and all, discarding only the heads.

11. Try wood-fired shashlik

    Skewers of pork neck, lamb loin, or chicken thighs marinated in grated onions, herbs, and crushed pepper, then slow-grilled over smoky birch charcoal embers. Widely popularized across the country via the Caucasus, it comes served with flatbread, pickled onions, and spicy adjika.

    Best experienced at casual suburban open-air grills (*shashlychnaya*) or seaside pavilions in Sochi. Good shashlik relies on high-heat charring without charring the meat dry.

12. Try Volga river fish soup (ukha)

    A crystal-clear, intensely aromatic broth prepared in successive stages using freshwater river catches like pike-perch, sterlet, carp, and ruffe. Campfire tradition finishes the simmering cauldron by quenching a glowing birch log in the soup and splashing in a shot of vodka.

    Unlike peasant grain soups, true ukha remains devoid of heavy cereals, focusing entirely on clean gelatinous stock, fragrant root parsley, peppercorns, and fresh dill.

13. Try holodets (jellied meat) with horseradish

    A cold savory appetizer of rich meat shredded from slow-simmered beef shanks and pork trotters, suspended in natural, garlic-infused bone broth that sets firm without gelatin. Eaten cold with pungent, sinus-clearing Russian hot mustard or grated beet horseradish.

    A quintessential cold appetizer paired with neat spirits during cold winter months. Look for clear broth and tender meat unburdened by excessive fat.

14. Try St. Petersburg pysPushki (dust-sugared donuts) Desserts and pastries

    Light, cloud-soft yeasted ring donuts fried crisp in bubbling oil and dusted under a blizzard of powdered sugar. In St. Petersburg's historic совет-era *pyshechnaya*, they are served smoking-hot onto square scraps of rough paper paired with sweet chicory coffee.

    Consume immediately within minutes of frying while the shell crackles and the interior stays tender. Cold pyshkis lose their signature texture entirely.

15. Try syrniki (pan-fried cottage cheese patties) Desserts and pastries

    Plump, pan-seared patties crafted from dry, crumbly curd cheese (*tvorog*) blended with a pinch of vanilla and minimal flour. Seared in butter until golden with a meltingly soft interior, they are served at breakfast with sour cream, berry jam, or condensed milk.

    The undeniable king of breakfast menus across the country. Superior syrniki hold their shape purely from high-fat curd cheese rather than filler flour.

16. Try embossed Tula gingerbread (pryanik) Desserts and pastries

    A traditional dense honey pastry pressed with relief patterns and historic calligraphy using hand-carved wooden stamps. Inside lies a thick layer of boiled apple jam or caramelized condensed milk (*varenka*) studded with walnuts.

    Hailing from Tula, south of Moscow, these glazed cakes are the ultimate companion to hot black tea. Fresh pryaniki should yield softly to pressure, not crumble hard.

17. Try multi-layered Medovik (honey cake) Desserts and pastries

    A celebrated dessert composed of eight to twelve ultra-thin honey biscuit layers brushed generously with a tart sour cream and dulce-de-leche filling. Left overnight to soften, the cake transforms into a tender, melt-in-the-mouth slice infused with caramelized buckwheat honey.

    Available in pastry shops nationwide. The inclusion of high-acid sour cream in the frosting prevents the rich caramelized honey layers from tasting cloying.

18. Try traditional bread kvass Non-alcoholic drinks

    A mildly effervescent, naturally fermented beverage produced from steeped rye malt, toasted dark rye bread crusts, sugar, and yeast. It presents a crisp, bready tang with caramel-crust notes, making it Russia's favorite thirst quencher in hot weather.

    Avoid mass-market bottled "kvass soda" loaded with artificial syrups. Look for unpasteurized craft kvass sold from draft taps in food markets and local delis.

19. Try wild berry mors Non-alcoholic drinks

    A refreshing traditional fruit drink made from tart taiga berries such as wild lingonberry, cranberry, or sea buckthorn. The fresh berries are pressed for juice, the pulp is gently simmered with water and honey, and the raw juice is blended back in.

    Served iced in summer and steaming in winter. Authentic house-made mors carries a visible berry sedimentation and a brisk, palate-cleansing tartness.

20. Try Ivan-Chay (fermented willowherb tea) Non-alcoholic drinks

    A historic herbal infusion brewed from the cured, fermented leaves of fireweed (willowherb). Naturally caffeine-free, it brews to a deep amber hue offering floral, dried-plum, and honeyed forest aromas.

    Commonly steeped with wild thyme, mint, or blackcurrant leaves in rustic teapots. It serves as the historic predecessor to imported Asian black tea.

21. Try fruit and herb nastoyki (infused spirits) Local alcohol

    Traditional Russian infusions made by steeping berries, horseradish, hot peppers, or forest herbs in grain spirit or vodka. In cozy modern *ryumochnaya* bars, colorful carafes and chilled shot glasses are matched with small rye canapés.

    The two undisputed icons are fiery *khrenovukha* (horseradish and honey) and tart *klyukovka* (cranberry). Always pair each shot immediately with a savory bite.

22. Try craft medovukha (fermented honey brew) Local alcohol

    An ancient Slavic light honey-wine naturally brewed from wild honey, hops, spring water, and spices. It yields a gentle sweetness balanced by earthy yeast undertones and aromas of clover, nutmeg, and ginger.

    While the Golden Ring town of Suzdal is its historical epicenter, craft variations are tapped nationwide. Expect an alcohol content between 4% and 8%.