Russian Cuisine and Recipes
Russian Recipes, Food and Cooking
Cooking
by Country - December 2004
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Russia is a huge country spanning from Europe in
the west to Northern Asia in the east with a massive 37,653 km coastline. The
terrain ranges from plains to forests to mountains with the climate anything
from warm, if relatively short summers in the west to sub-arctic in Siberia. Overall, the
winters tend to be long and cold. It has borders with 14 countries from China to
the southeast to Finland in the Northwest.
NB With
the break up of the Soviet Union, it is difficult to completely isolate the
cuisine of Russia today as compared with the Soviet Union of yesteryear. Some
dishes which most of us would consider to be Russian are, strictly
speaking no longer so. A good example is Chicken Kiev: the town of Kiev
is now in the separate country of Ukraine. However, at the risk of offending some, we are going to
include such dishes in this section.....but if we ever do a section on Ukrainian
cuisine, it will, of course be included there too.
Ancient
Times, History and Influences on Russian Cooking
It is not difficult to imagine what natural
bounties this vast land has always proffered to its occupants. The sheer size,
coastline, varied climate and terrain was, from the start a boon to
hunter-gatherers...at least in the west of the country. There was plenty of game
in the forests, fish in the rivers and sea and pastoral land to grow important staples such
as rye.
Although there
have been many ‘man-made’ influences which helped to form the current day
Russian cuisine, including the arrival of the Vikings in the 9th century who introduced herring
and preserving techniques, the Mongol-Tatar invaders in the 13th century who
brought with them the samovar (a tea-making/serving vessel), spices, techniques for grilling meat, making sour clotted milk and pickling
cabbage (sauerkraut) and, of course the culinary habits and ideas from the
west (France, Germany and Austria in particular), the main influence of what the
peoples of Russia have eaten over time has been the climate.
The long-lasting
cold winters meant that the food consumed needed to provide warmth and energy to ensure
survival during the winter. This gave rise to high levels of slow burning
carbohydrates and fat being consumed above high protein or vegetables. Bread
often made from Rye and porridges made from various grains became staples in the
Russian diet. Other cereals, beans, lentils, and peas were also important
foodstuffs as were beetroot, cabbage and mushrooms. Rye was the ideal grain for planting during the short unpredictable
growing season.
It's interesting
to note that in early Russian history, the food of city dwellers was not that
different from that of the country peasants as cities were few and far between
and therefore in close proximity to rural land and small villages. Russian
cuisine is based on peasant cooking and it's only much later in its history that
additions were made to the hearty "one-pot" supper most peasants looked forward
to after a long day in the fields. This was usually in the form of a soup and
depending on what was available, ranged from a thin broth consisting mainly of
water and vegetables to a substantial almost stew-like affair with added fish or
meat. Coarse dark bread was always served in large amounts.
The introduction of New world foods such as
potatoes added another dimension to this warming cuisine and during the times of
Peter the Great c.1725 contact with the West led to the introduction and use of
utensils such as frying pans and straining spoons. Western influences and the
import of western chefs added more refined dishes to Russian cuisine...but only
for the ruling classes.
Another Russian culinary tradition can also be
attributed mainly to the climate, namely the zakuski table which became
popular during the 19th century. This is similar to the Swedish smorgasbord.
When the gentry entertained their friends they could never be quite sure when
they would all arrive due not only to the sometimes inclement weather, but also
to the long distances their guests may have to travel and the poor road
conditions. In order to ensure everyone was kept happy before they could finally
serve dinner, upon arrival guests would immediately be served appetisers which
were all laid out on a large table, along with a shot of Vodka to warm
them up.
Current
Day Russian Cuisine
Russian
cuisine remained stable until the Russian Revolution of 1917. However, the new
ideals of sobriety, moderation and self-denial were to have a profound effect on
the eating habits of many of the former ruling classes. It's perhaps just as
well that the peasants, whose way of eating hadn't changed that much from
earlier times and who had borne the brunt of two majors wars, famines and
invasion didn't need the refinements in preparation and service of food as the
ruling classes had come to enjoy.
Ironically, it was at this time that Russian food
became more widely known in other parts of the world when Russian restaurants
were opened in cities such as London, New York and Paris by (what were now) the
defunct ruling classes who, in all honesty, had little else to offer other
countries other than their years of experience of eating fine food.
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