Meet ‘kholodets’. The most controversial Russian dish ever.

It’s meat jelly. Firstly, a very thick broth is being cooked for hours, which is then turned into jelly by cooling overnight. Usually with pieces of meat. This might seem crazy, but this dish is a must on every Russian holiday table! Have you ever tried it? If not, would you dare trying it?

Let us know in the comments.
By the way, what Russian dish do you find the most weird?

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Meet syrniki. The perfect Russian breakfast dish.

Made of cottage cheese and fried in a pan, these little puck-shaped guys are tasty, healthy and easy to make.
Lots of Russians would definitely say that's their go to food for breakfast. It tastes like Soviet childhood!
Best when served with sour cream or your grandma's homemade jam.

📷 Victoria Drey

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Fried potatoes with mushrooms - every Russians' culinary guilty pleasure!

If a Russian craves something really tasty and not very 'healthy' for dinner, believe us, it will be fried potatoes!
Not french fries or mashed potatoes. Fried.
Any kind of mushrooms on the side will work: chanterelles (when in season) or champignons.
Oh, the smell!
And the most delicious thing is to eat it right out of the frying pan!

What's your guilty pleasure?

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Cutlets with mashed potatoes: Russians' favorite cafeteria food

This taste is familiar to everyone from childhood.

When Russians eat in Soviet-style 'stolovka' cafes and office canteens, this dish surely is among the most popular ones.
Also, after being somewhere abroad for a long time or just out of home - cutlets with mashed potatoes ('kotletki s pyureshkoi') is the first thing they would cook. Ok, maybe, second, after borsch.
It is also something that every Russian babushka cooks for her beloved grandchildren.

Here are a few secrets behind the delicate taste. For cutlets bread is added to minced meat. And mashed potatoes are made with milk and butter. (And make sure you peel the potatoes before boiling them!)

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Veal Orloff: Russians' favorite 'French-style' meat 🥩

Every Soviet citizen knew how make it, and for decades it has been one of the most popular baked dishes in the holiday dinner table. And it still is.

Pork or beef baked under a layer of potatoes and onions with béchamel sauce and cheese.

Worldwide, this dish is known as “Orlov-style” meat or pork named in honor of Russian Count Alexei Orlov who was the Russian Ambassador to France in the 19th century. It was his French chef who created the dish.
That's why in Russia it's called мясо по-французски (‘myaso po-Franzuzki’) or ‘French-style meat’.
This dish became loved nation-wide for its simple ingredients, quick preparation and high calorie intake.
Ah, and instead of original Mornay sauce Russians used mayo.

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Herring under a fur coat: Russia's most badass salad 😈

A nightmare for all foreigners. A mayonnaise dish you would either hate or love. And an absolute must on the Russian New Year table.

Actually, it's just really salted herring which layered with vegetables.

The secret is in the order of layers. Russian chefs and housewives would argue what goes next to what. But the most popular order is:
🐠 Finely chopped herring,
🧅 sliced onion,
🥔 boiled and grinded potatoes,
🥕 boiled and grinded carrot,
🍳 boiled and sliced egg,
😈 boiled and grinded beetroot.
And the most important thing is to drizzle each layer with mayonnaise.

The latest joke is when Gen-Z asks where to buy pink mayo for the top layer... (The beet gives the color, guys).
There is a legend that this salad was created after the 1917 revolution and each layer had a particular meaning: beetroot symbolized the revolution; carrots and onions - the peasantry; and herring - the proletariat.
Have you tried it? Or would you dare?

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Meet solyanka: Russian essential hangover soup

Russians are still celebrating the New Year's... Yes, they have holidays and days off up until January 8.
So after finishing up their mayonaisy New Year salads, Russians crave something fatty and salty... and a lot of liquid. So hot soup if a perfect thing.
Borsch takes too much time to cook, while solyanka is your choice.

This soup has an unusual sour-salty taste - it’s all about the pickles, olives, lemon and, sometimes, kvass that are added to it.
You can actually make solyanka with fish or mushrooms, but a meat one is the most popular. And you can add any type of meat, sausages and smoked ham.

During the Soviet era, solyanka was even sold as instant soup in cans. Now solyanka is served nearly everywhere in Russia, ranging from student canteens to high-end restaurants.

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Meet ‘ponchik’, a Soviet take on donuts

This sweet pastry has a nostalgic taste of Russian childhood.
Every Soviet kid dreamed of visiting the circus or zoo, mostly because they anticipated getting a ‘ponchik’ there. A ‘ponchik’ is a round-shaped donut-like flour product, fried in oil. Unlike American donuts, they didn’t have glaze on top, but were sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Sometimes, one could also come across shell donut style ‘ponchiks’ in the form of a puffy ball and they could even have a filling inside (cream or chocolate).

By the way, in Soviet Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), the ‘ponchik’ is still a popular fast food. But, beware: It’s called ‘pyshka’ and there are famous ’pyshechnaya’ bakeries, to which there are huge queues to this day!

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Liver cake: A brutal Russian dish that has nothing to do with dessert! 🍰

This meal would, most likely, top your list of “the strangest things you’ve ever eaten”… But, maybe you're gonna love it!
A salty cake tastes better than you think. Each layer is actually a liver pancake greased with mayo or cream cheese and sandwiched with fried onions and carrots. If you are not told what you are going to eat, you may never guess what it is made of, because it is juicy, smells great and is nutritious.

It's not entirely clear whether this dish is a truly traditional Russian one. Regardless, it was widely cooked in the Soviet era, as well as other meals made from offal.
It was created in order to entice people to learn to like liver, which was cheap and affordable and a nice source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Many Soviet mothers used this trick to feed their kids liver. And Soviet doctors advised to eat liver to increase hemoglobin level.

📷 Yulia Mulino

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Meet buckwheat porridge, Russians’ favorite comfort food!

While the whole rest of the world is only discovering buckwheat as a superfood, Russians have been obsessed with it for generations!
Actually, ‘grechka’ (‘гречка’) has been on peasant tables since at least the 12th century. And not by accident. Its slow-releasing carbs give a lot of energy for a long period of time.

It's also incredibly easy to prepare and it tastes wonderful! As a side dish, as a main course or for breakfast. It can serve any of your nutrition needs.
In the morning, just add milk and sugar and feel as if you are in a Russian kindergarten!

For lunch, add canned meat to some boiled ‘grechka’ and you'll be eating the most iconic food Soviet soldiers ate during World War II.
And one of the most popular recipes includes fried onions and mushrooms. A must-try dish every Russian living abroad usually pines for!

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Semolina porridge: An easy & quick breakfast from the Soviet childhood that you never had

Russian kids have been eating porridge for breakfast since the beginning of time. At home, in kindergartens, schools and canteens. This version is the most popular one. And you're gonna either love it or hate it. For many Russians 'kasha', or porridge, is considered to be an essential breakfast meal. Oat, buckwheat or semolina.

Mothers and grandmothers would always tell children that you'll become strong if you eat porridge. Indeed, it's a boost of complex carbohydrates that will let you stay full until lunch. Semolina is very quick and easy to cook. Two minutes of constantly mixing boiling milk with semolina and that's it!

Then, add jam or honey and you’ve got an extremely tasty meal! However, there is a trick. If you don't mix well, the porridge will become lumpy… and that's a nightmare for all kids!

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