Russian food: 12 traditional dishes explained
Russian food is cold-climate cooking: meat-filled dough, hearty beetroot and cabbage soups, thin pancakes, plenty of sour cream and dill. Many dishes are mild and prepared in batches, though recipes and customs vary by region and family. These are 12 dishes that shape the table, with their ingredients and how to eat them.
The 12 dishes
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1. Pelmeni
Filled dough, usually with minced meat and onion, generally bite-sized. Dough ingredients and filling proportions depend on the recipe. Commonly served with butter, sour cream or in broth. Follow the instructions for the specific product when cooking.
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2. Borsch
Deep red beetroot soup with cabbage, potatoes and meat. Served hot with a spoonful of sour cream and garlic. There are many family and regional versions, including meat-free ones.
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3. Blini
Thin pancakes made with wheat or buckwheat flour. Eaten savoury with salmon, roe or curd cheese, or sweet with jam, honey or condensed milk. During Maslenitsa, the week before Lent, they are eaten daily.
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4. Olivier salad
A salad often served at celebrations, especially New Year’s Eve. Today’s homemade versions commonly include potato, carrot, egg, pickled cucumber, peas, chicken or cooked sausage, and mayonnaise. These variations should not be confused with a single original recipe.
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5. Vareniki
Filled dough larger than pelmeni, with sweet or savoury fillings: potato, curd cheese, cherries or cabbage. Ukrainian in origin and widespread across the region. Served with butter and sour cream.
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6. Syrniki
Fried curd-cheese pancakes, golden outside and creamy inside. A classic breakfast with honey, jam or sour cream. They contain little sugar: sweetness comes from the accompaniment.
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7. Shchi
Cabbage soup with a long history in Russian cuisine. It can use fresh cabbage in summer or sauerkraut in winter, with meat or vegetarian during fasting periods.
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8. Shashlik
Skewers of marinated meat cooked over coals. In Russia, marinades use onion, vinegar or sparkling water, and grilling moves outdoors as soon as the weather warms up. It is as much a social custom as a dish.
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9. Golubtsy
Cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice, cooked in tomato and sour cream sauce. A Sunday dish made in large batches that tastes even better the next day.
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10. Selyodka pod shuboy
Salted herring under layers of beetroot, potato, carrot, egg and mayonnaise. Literally, herring under a fur coat. Another festive-table essential alongside Olivier salad.
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11. Pirozhki
Small baked or fried pies filled with potato, cabbage, meat, egg and onion, or apple. Street and home food, eaten by hand at any time.
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12. Kvas and kompot
Two drinks for the table: kvas is fermented rye-bread drink, slightly tart and very low in alcohol; kompot is fruit cooked with water and sugar, served cold.
Pelmeni, vareniki and khinkali: telling them apart
Swipe the table to see every column.
| Pelmeni | Vareniki | Khinkali | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | Russia | Ukraine | Georgia |
| Size | Bite-sized | Medium | Usually larger than pelmeni |
| Filling | Usually meat | Potato, curd cheese, fruit | Meat with broth |
| Cooking | According to the recipe and instructions | According to the recipe and instructions | According to the recipe and instructions |
| How to eat it | Spoon, sour cream | Fork | By hand |
Frequently asked questions
What is Russian food in one sentence?
A cuisine with many regional traditions: filled dough, soups, cabbage, beetroot, meat, fish and dairy feature in well-known dishes. Dill and sour cream are frequent accompaniments. Some recipes are mild, others stronger, and many are prepared in batches.
Are pelmeni like ravioli?
Both use dough with a filling, but their shape, ingredients and presentation differ. Pelmeni often contain meat and are served with butter, sour cream or broth. Dough thickness, cooking method and cooking time depend on the recipe; follow the instructions for the specific product.
Is Russian salad really Russian?
Olivier salad is linked to chef Lucien Olivier and nineteenth-century Moscow. Many versions have appeared since. Spanish ensaladilla and homemade Olivier share ingredients, but they are not one unchanging recipe.
Can vegetarians eat Russian food?
Many dishes are or can be vegetarian: potato or curd-cheese vareniki, blini, syrniki, vegetarian shchi and salads. Long meat-free fasting periods in the Orthodox calendar left a rich collection of plant-based recipes.
Pelmeni for professionals on the Costa Brava
More about these dishes: what are pelmeni · how to prepare pelmeni · Russian shop in Lloret · Georgian cuisine