Bizarre Russian Foods
Nov. 13th, 2013 11:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
peacetraveler22
Remember my post about the Ukrainian market? I wrote there that I love food and my position hasn't changed. In America, we're getting ready to enter the most delicious time of year. We'll celebrate Christmas in less than two weeks. For my family, this means big gatherings and feasts. I can't really say I love Russian food. During my visits I tried some local cuisine, but didn't like most of it. I'm a very picky eater, not liking fish, seafood or a lot of meat. Recently on a popular U.S. website there was an article entitled "17 Bizarre Foods Every Russian Grew Up With." Maybe you'll find it amusing. I picked the most interesting dishes from the list and I've tasted a lot of the items. For me, the most disgusting delicacies are all the food molds stuffed with meats, herring and other treats. Like this photo, where the dish is called "herring under fur coat." :)
1. Olivye salad. I tasted this last New Year's eve. I don't like mayonnaise, so I can't eat it. I never put dressing on anything, or even ketchup, mustard or other condiments. I eat most things plain.
2. Salo. I think this is now more closely associated with Ukraine. I tasted it in Kyiv - ah, chewy fat! Not to my liking. I eat a lot of chicken and steak and all fat must be trimmed. I know some people enjoy this part of the meat but it gags me.
3. Kvas. You can easily find this in America, but the taste is too strong for me. During my recent trip to Russia, I tasted birch beer for the first time. Delicious and lighter!
4. Kompot. This drink I really like! I've had it in several Russian cafes, including Cafe Mu-Mu where I tasted it for the first time. Similar to American fruit punch, but more tasty with the real fruit thrown in.
5. Varenyky. Is this common in modern day Russia? I remember it being the national dish in Ukraine, available everywhere with a wide variety of stuffing like meat, potatoes and sweet fruits.
6. Kishka. Never tasted it and there's too much meat involved!! I doubt I would like it. Maybe I'll be brave next time and take a bite.
7. Blini w/Caviar. I can't eat it though I tried during a New Year's eve celebration last year with a Russian family. Too salty, and I don't like the strong fishy taste.
8. Kholodets. This is the most interesting dish! I remember at the holidays seeing all kinds of creative molds made out of swans, birds, animals, etc. Very strange and funny. :) During Valentine's Day, maybe they produce heart shaped molds? I also ate a version of this at Cafe Mu-Mu and didn't like it. The jelly texture is odd and the minced meat wasn't very good quality.
9. Herring, mayo and pickle sandwich. When we were completely drunk at the seedy St. Petersburg vodka bar, the guys tried to get me to eat this as a snack. I refused and ate cheese and crackers instead. This thick brown bread would have been much better to soak up the poison!! Perhaps this is why I needed help walking home at the end of the night! :) Pickles - I hate this food more than any other!
10. No words for this photo! :))
11. In Russia, I'm completely addicted to the sweets and candies. This is my favorite. Each time I visit, my host always has a bunch in the refrigerator and I eat these bars daily. Delicious!
What's your favorite national dish?
Also, I wonder whether it's interesting to readers if I write about how an average American family celebrates Thanksgiving and Christmas? I can take photos and write about my family celebrations if it's an interesting topic? What do you think? Vote below please.
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no subject
Date: 2013-11-13 06:34 pm (UTC)I was eating my lunch salad when I came across this.
I remember some of this stuff never mind the names but it all looks so jelly fish like (top pix) and then reading about the furry herring(?!) whatever that might be and the toothy monster in a can… my lunch was about to come back out.
I ate a lot of the only thing you have on there, the blini, in most cases it was skinny crepes with caviar. I had to have it at every street vendor when in Moscow. And it was like 50cents or a $1, a while back.
Where is the borscht soup? That another thing my back when Russian girlfriend treated me to. First she made it on beef stock that she made herself and it was disgusting but veggy one was passable just too much cabbage.
There are good things in Russian cuisine we’re just not used to it.
Eating in exotic places is always a challenge. After college, being jobless and not sure what to do I travelled to Europe and spent a week or so in Egypt, my uncle’s friend was working for USAID there. I was mostly in Cairo, Suez and historic sites around it, Saqqara etc After traveling on their roads and seeing what passes for roadkill there, camels, I was in no mood for any meats… I ate pasta for entire week even in nice hotels in Ma’adi area. Only other thing I had was untreated raw dates straight from palm trees they grow on, huge tasty things you have a dozen or so and it could be yr lunch.
If pix.1 is a potato salad w/mayo it’s not so bad just not worth the calories…
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Date: 2013-11-13 06:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-13 08:43 pm (UTC)You ever seen an armadillo as a roadkill. Most gut wrenching sighting. The poor little thing is dumber than a deer, it just stares into headlightes and then it’s… crunch time… would look right in with all the Russian delicacies… ;)
Love for me? Thanks!
I’m happily married to an all-american girl… not that I wouldn't dump her for the beauties from this treasure trove... ;))) site looks good… you could start a new Cirque Du Freak Show…
where you finding things like that too much time on yr hands? Maybe they have a Russian chef on that site who’d get you used to mother Russia’ foods ;) like toothy herring with fur, mayo and mustard. Does herring come with feather too or just fur? ;)
And c’mon you can’t be serious, you don’t like French food? Smelly cheeses, foie grass… it’s really good. Pistachio apricot pie fresh from boulangerie… to fucking die for.
I don’t eat steak tartar but most other stuff is great. Other than weird snail and frog legs shit. Travel to Bordeaux or Lyon for really good stuff.
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