Russian cuisine has not made a major appearance in the United States yet. But it is something that is well worth exploring by visiting a Russian restaurant, with Russian friends, or traveling to Russia. Many Americans have heard about typical Russian foods, such as borscht, but they don’t really know what it is or have not had the chance to try them. Many people who go to Russia are frequently surprised about the variety of foods there and the many different flavors of food. Many Russian dishes are delicious and they will definitely have you seeking out the recipes. Read on for more about traditional Russian dishes.

The first dish that most Americans has heard of is, again, borscht. This is the most popular soup in Russia. It is a soup that is based upon beets. This might seem strange to Americans, but you have to remember that Russia is a northern country, with long, cold winters, and short summers. The vegetables that are most available to them to grow at their summer cottages and to buy in markets are root based – potatoes, carrots, and beets. However, there is much more in borscht than just beets. Recipes vary, but you will almost always find some cabbage, potatoes and meat in the soup as well. Most Russians will add a scoop of thick sour cream to their soup. If you go to a Russian restaurant or visit Russia, be prepared for some very delicious and thick sour cream!

The next common Russian dish is peroshki. These are pastries that are filled with meat, cheese or cabbage. Usually, you fry them in the skillet, and then eat them with sour cream. Another tasty filling is egg and onion. It is quite popular to cook these at home and then save them and use them for lunches. People also use them for food when they take long train trips, which are very common in this immense land.

Next, blini are basically very thin pancakes. You pour the batter very thin in a large skillet and then cook them just like regular American pancakes. Russians will typically eat them with jam, cheese, onions, condensed milk and sometimes chocolate syrup. They also taste great with regular American syrup. If you are in Russia and you don’t know what to order, you are safe to order blini. They will taste very much like pancakes. Remember that Russians roll the blini into a tube and eat it with their hands. On a related note, Russians also make alladi, which are small, thicker pancakes about the diameter of a cue ball. They eat these with the same condiments and side dishes as blini.

Another great Russian dish is pelmeni. These are small meat dumplings that are usually filled with ground beef, or possibly ground pork. They take a while to make, but they are very delicious. You roll the dough out, then cut out small circles in the dough with a cup, then you fill the circle with meat, and pinch it closed. The pelmeni are then boiled for 5-6 minutes and served hot. It’s important to pinch the dough tightly closed or they break open during boiling. The pelmeni are most often served with butter and sour cream.

As mentioned above, sour cream is an essential part of many Russian dishes. You will find sour cream heavily used with blini, soups, pelmeni and many other Russian dishes. The sour cream at the stores is often fresh and tastes better than anything that you can buy in an American grocery store.

You definitely should try Russian cuisine at the first opportunity, as it is full of wonderful dishes.

Lawrence Reaves writes for, Hamilton Beach, a kitchen appliance company that offers a selection of appliances for your home. For more information about these products click here.

Lawrence Reaves writes for, Hamilton Beach, a kitchen appliance company that offers a selection of appliances that can be found here http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/products/kitchen-appliances.html

Author Bio: Lawrence Reaves writes for, Hamilton Beach, a kitchen appliance company that offers a selection of appliances for your home. For more information about these products click here.

Category: Advice
Keywords: Russin food, russian, ethnic food,