Baking. Being the largest country in the world by territory, Russia has absorbed elements of the culture of many nations, including culinary traditions. The territory with its various geographical and climatic features has contributed to the diversity of menus. Both carnivores and vegetarians will find a dish to their liking in Russian cuisine.

Photos of traditional Russian dishes look appetizing. However, the efforts of photographers do not convey the rich flavor palette of Russian cuisine. Where to start if you decide to explore the culinary heritage of Russia? Of course, with the most popular Russian dishes.

Popular Russian food includes traditional Russian recipes and dishes from other Slavic states. Borscht is characteristic of Ukrainian cuisine, but it is present on the menu of every Russian restaurant. Let's not dwell on geographical nuances and name 10 of the most delicious dishes to try in Russia.

Russian Dumplings

When you think of Russian food names, dumplings are the first thing that comes to mind. They were first prepared in the Urals over 600 years ago. The shape of dumplings resembles an ear shell—hence the name, meaning "bread ear." The recipe is simple—a mixture of beef, lamb, and chicken minced meat wrapped in a dumpling made of unleavened dough. The dense dough is made from eggs, flour, and water. Dumplings are boiled in boiling salted water, to which whole black peppercorns and a couple of bay leaves are added. They are served with broth or without. Mustard, sour cream, and butter are used as seasonings and sauces. In households, dumplings are prepared by the whole family. The hostess puts a bowl of minced meat on the table, rolls out the dough into circles, and family members spoon the filling and seal the corners. Usually, dumplings are prepared for several meals. Some are cooked immediately, while others are frozen.

Solyanka

This delicious dish is prepared on broth from meat, mushrooms, or fish. The broth must include sour-salty products: pickles or mushrooms, olives, lemon, brine. In the meat broth, add boiled or fried meat, salted pork fat, smoked meats, or sausage products. The fish option includes salted, boiled, or smoked fish, most often sturgeon. Mushroom solyanka is made from edible mushrooms. Solyanka includes plenty of greens, cabbage, carrots, potatoes—it is a variation of rustic soup.

Cabbage Soup (Shchi)

Cabbage soup is a traditional Russian food. It is a soup with a characteristic sour taste. Usually, cabbage soup is made from sauerkraut, adding brine. There are green cabbage soups made from sorrel. The soup cooking technology is simple: prepared ingredients without pre-heat treatment are put into boiling broth and boiled. Only sauerkraut is pre-stewed until soft. Greens and roots are added to shchi, as well as other Russian dishes.

Okroshka

This is a cold soup made from finely diced vegetables, pickles, meat, or fish. It used to be made from leftovers. Therefore, the meat was of several types (poultry, beef, pork) and different cooking methods (boiled, fried, smoked). Nowadays, okroshka uses boiled beef, chicken, or sausage products. Fresh or pickled cucumbers, boiled potatoes, and carrots are added. Then the meat and vegetable mixture is mixed with spicy dressing. Greens are added, covered with a lid, and placed in a cold place for at least 30 minutes. Before serving, the dish is poured with kvass and a spoonful of sour cream. In the classic version, okroshka kvass is used for pouring, but it is often replaced with bread kvass.

Sturgeon

If you come to Russia, be sure to try dishes from this fish. Sturgeon was served at the tsar's table and was considered a privilege of the nobility. It was baked whole, stuffed with vegetables and meat, and made aspic. Sturgeon is a source of valuable black caviar. Nowadays, people have learned to breed this fish in special fish farms, so the sturgeon population in the wild is gradually recovering.

Russian Borscht

Borscht can easily be called the main Slavic soup. It has long been divided between traditional Russian and Ukrainian cuisines. It is not surprising, as the history of the borscht recipe spans several centuries. It is said that it was first cooked in Kievan Rus in the XIV century. There are countless varieties of borscht, but the traditional borscht is a soup based on beef or pork broth with the addition of vegetables—beets, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. Borscht is served with dressing, usually cream or sour cream. In addition, borscht can be served with pirozhki or pampushki, and Ukrainian borscht is eaten with rye bread and lard.

Aspic (Holodets)

This popular dish is made from meat, which is boiled for a long time over