Russian Food: A Primer

• Kvass (Квас): A fermented rye drink that’s mildly alcoholic, and far less sweet than regular soda; it’s very refreshing. It may have alcohol in it, but it’s given to children like juice.
• Borsch (Борш): This is the famous beef-broth-based beet stew often topped with smetana (sour cream). Note that in Russia, you’re not just limited to 2% dairy fat sour cream—20% fat is very common and, obviously, way more awesome than any low-fat variety.
• Tvorog (Творог): Similar to cottage cheese, but far tastier, in my opinion. Tvorog are actually more like cheese curds, being quite dry in consistency. You can find pastries filled with tvorog, and like other dairy here, the fat content runs from 1-15%, with many varieties in between.
• Kasha (Каша): Hot breakfast cereal, usually made of millet or buckwheat, sold everywhere by the kilo for the equivalent of $0.50.
• Kefir (Кефир): A tangy, lassi-like yogurt beverage that I pour over my kasha, or drink straight. It reminds me of the YOP yogurts of my youth, although the flavour is “plain” instead of “Razzle Raspberry”, or whatever.
• Blini (Блины): I have eaten millions of these recently, as they are sold everywhere and are delicious. Several Russian fast-food chains seem to have been created on the strength of the blini’s appeal! I think of them as small crepes, usually filled with cheese, mushrooms, meat, or caviar. You can also buy sweet ones served with honey or jam.

• Myod (мед): This is another slightly alcoholic drink, a sort of honey-mead. Myod is also the word for honey, another food that Russians love, and do really, really well. In the markets, it is sold from giant containers, freshly scraped off the comb. Vendors will shout out “Devushka! Devushka!” as you pass, plying you with enormous samples.
• Pelmeni (Пелмены): The Russian pierogi/ravioli. I once purchased some at the supermarket, but got home and realized that I wasn't going to be eating them. If I had been paying attention, I would have seen the huge letters on the package which read: «С много много мясом!», meaning, «With lots and lots of meat!».
• Chai (Чай): Black tea, usually served with sugar, but not milk. Petersburg is a city that is very fond of tea, and finding a good cup of coffee can be a challenge. Sadly, every latte I have ordered here has been served with a straw.
• Vodka (Водка): This list wouldn't be complete without at least mentioning vodka. It’s cheap, it’s ubiquitous, it’s part of the language: the root of водка is вода—water! I won't be treating it like water, as many locals do, but I certainly plan on bringing back a couple bottles of Флагман: official vodka purveyors to the Kremlin.