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I have read google results about Russian food, but many times that is just fancy people talking and since I know there are regular Russians who post here I thought I would ask what is considered regular food? In America there is a huge mix of all kinds of cultures plus fast food everything ( :bad: )
What is it like to eat traditional in Russia?
Main foods are: bread (mostly made from rye and wheat), meat (beef, pork), chicken, eggs, milk, butter, cheese, cereals, vegetables (the principal ones are onions, potato, cucumbers, tomatoes) and pasta.
Well, if you imagine every possible combination from the above listed you will get the picture :) There are thousands of ways to combine all that and we probably use all of them.
Ramil, you forgot to mention fish, its also important part (although I, personally, don't like it very much).
Yes, fish.
If you add mushrooms and a lobster (which is a traditional beer snack), you get pretty much the same thing you'd have in North America except for the fast food. :mosking:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramil
But the way those ingredients are cooked makes all the difference. There are meatballs in both countries, but they taste very different.
Russian version:
http://img1.liveinternet.ru/images/a...uhovke_066.jpg
American version:
http://www.aduckinherpond.com/wp-con...-1624497-l.jpg
[s:dlpywegz]lobster[/s:dlpywegz]
crawfish.
Lobster lives in the ocean and crawfish lives in rivers.
Besides, the question was about regular foods. I don't think that fish, crawfish and mushrooms can be considered 'regular' or otherwise I could add caviar too :)
I'd say, the Queen of Russian food is potato. Honestly, I can't imagine a dinner or supper without it in some form. For soups (borsch, shtshi, other soups), you need it. For the second course, you need it as a garnish - boiled, fried, or in the form of purée. Although some people prefer rice, buckwheat or pasta as a garnish. But I, personally, would never eat pasta if I can choose among pasta and potato. I would never prefer rice or buckwheat either.
By the way, there is a proverb in Russian which says "Potato is a second bread". I wonder is it only Russian?
Now this thread is making me hungry. :lol:
I don't think I have ever heard of a potato referred to as a second bread, although we do love our potatoes in America (mostly in french fry form though).
Is there one dish that Russia is especially known for? America is pretty diverse so I can't really think of much because every country brought their own dish here.
Wikipedia has a good article on this here
Hmmm... I wonder if it could be пельмени. If you don't have пельмени in America, then probably I am right.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zombie Acorn
But... Pelmeni is not Russian :)
There is an ancient saying: щи да каша - еда наша.
... originally, you mean? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramil
I've never heard this with "еда".Quote:
щи да каша - [s:ivx26rdz]еда[/s:ivx26rdz] пища наша.
yupQuote:
Originally Posted by Оля
Maybe, my granddad used to say 'еда'.Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
I don't agree with the "mostly in French Fry form" -- I think potatoes are equally popular here baked "in their jackets", mashed, and as hash browns.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zombie Acorn
[quote=Оля]Hmmm... I wonder if it could be пельмени. If you don't have пельмени in America, then probably I am right.[/quote:1fh4uimy]Quote:
Originally Posted by "Zombie Acorn":1fh4uimy
Мне вечно грустно, что в наших супермаркетах, пельмени не бывают!
An English-language wikipedia article about pelmeni, for those who are unfamiliar with these delicious little meat-filled dumplings.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Throbert McGee
One of my favorite soups in Russian cuisine, Solyanka:
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9065/51254211187.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solyanka
Also I love pancakes with caviar:
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/7...422preview.jpg
I like dark Russian style dark bread (what's it called? I'd like to try baking it because I like breadmaking). I knew that potato is staple food like in all colder countries.
Other than that I hardly knew anything about it!
But I am guessing that Russians have eat more sensibly/more healthy than a lot of people in Western Europe - I think it's less common for people in Russia to be overweight. Hope it stays that way!
(Here in England a LOT of people send their children to school with a packed lunch of crisps, chocolate and Coca Cola! Insane... )
The caviar pancakes look great!!! I'm sure I'd like that.
My Russian exercise book has an exercise about "identify the Russian foods" from lots of foods written in Russian (it mixes cultural stuff with the language exercises, it's a school book). "Pelmeni" is said to be Russian according to this book. But they could be wrong, I suppose... Just did this exercise on the train home from work today as chance would have it. The chapter was about food and learning the names of lots of different foods. Until I read that I always thought Pelmeni was from Finland.. lol. It even sounds like a Finnish word.Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
PS - Re meatballs, pictured above: Excuse me people but meatballs is a Swedish dish, not Russian or American! :wife:
Pelmeni originally came from China in 13th centurty with the Mongols. The word itself is Komi - "pyel" (ear) - "nyan" (bread). So, Johanna you were partially correct about thinking that it's a Finnish word (the Komi language belongs to the Finno-Ugric group).
I likе piroshki пирожки, but they take a lot of time and effort to make so I don't make them often. Borsht борщ is another typical Russian dish. Most of the Russian food I have had has been bland. Missing the subtlty of salt, the nuance of pepper. I like my cooking with spices.
It's called черный хлеб -- "black bread" -- although it's actually a light-brown color. And by many accounts, it's nearly impossible to reproduce in your own kitchen (at least here in America) because it's made from a 100% rye dough that is difficult to work with, even if you're quite experienced with home baking.Quote:
Originally Posted by Johanna
Russian "black bread":
http://www.rosfoto.ru/photos/big/0009000/009168_170.jpg
Americans may imagine that "black bread" is similar to what we call "pumpernickel," but in fact, they're totally different. Our pumpernickel is simply American-style rye bread with caramel coloring (i.e., carbonized sugar) added in order to give it a brown-black color. And American-style "rye" bread is never 100% rye -- it's made with a mix of rye and wheat flours, typically at least 50% wheat, and sometimes closer to 75% wheat. This gives it a much lighter texture and a milder flavor than the 100% rye bread in Russia, which is very dense and has a somewhat sour flavor.
American "pumpernickel":
http://messyandpicky.com/wp-content/...mpernickel.jpg
Of course, since Johanna is in Europe, it's possible that the rye flour available in markets there is different from American rye flour (for example, it might have a different gluten content, or be milled differently). And thus it might be possible for her to bake a Russian-style black bread at home.
ЗЫ: The etymological meaning of "pumpernickel", in German, is something like "farting demon"! :lol:
Fat (really fat, obese) people are extremely rare in Russia.Quote:
Originally Posted by Johanna
Even more rare in Russia: Obese children. Fatness is a condition of middle-aged Russians (i.e., 40 years and older).Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
The Russian word for what you see in the photo is котлеты (notice that they are NOT what we would call "cutlets" in English!). Basically, you could start with a typical American meatball or meatloaf recipe -- i.e., ground meat (рубленное мясо) mixed with bread crumbs (панировочные сухари) or oatmeal (овсяные хлопья), and maybe a beaten egg, plus finely-chopped onions and other seasonings -- but then you shape this "ground-meat mixture" (фарш) into flat patties.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crocodile
I think that there must be something in the food in America because people get fat when they go there. I Russia always ate what ever I wanted, lots of bread and cheese and pastries and stayed skinny.
Well, some people say that it's because the American diet has too much fructose, or too many "trans" fats. I think that's [s:u1gw7ayb]bullsh[/s:u1gw7ayb] ерунда, because I've eaten "junk food" all my life, and I'm not fat. В чем моя тайна? Although I enjoy candy and potato chips and Coke and other junk foods, I don't eat them every day of the month -- more like once per week. Even more importantly, I walk a lot, instead of driving in a car. If the weather is pleasant and the distance is less than a mile or so (меньше чем полтора километра), I always, ALWAYS walk.Quote:
Originally Posted by DDT
Однако, много американцев считает, что лишь полкилометра -- это уже слишком далеко, для нормального человека ходить пешком!
Интересно, как бы американцы в своей массе восприняли упражнение в ходьбе на 2 мили с 80 фунтовым рюкзаком и с двумя ведрами помидор в руках?
А строительство погреба силами отца и сына-подростка?
(рытьё ямы 8х7 футов площадью и 10 футов глубиной, с использованием лопат, лома, топора, ведра на верёвке и тачки,
бетонирование высотой 1 ярд 4 дюйма, выкладывание кирпичём ещё на такую же высоту, бетонирование перекрытия, насыпка слоя земли высотой той же высоты - используется ведро, совковая лопата, тачка)
Не повезло тебе, сочувствую. Так точно не потолстеешь. :-)Quote:
А строительство погреба силами отца и сына-подростка?
(рытьё ямы 8х7 футов площадью и 10 футов глубиной, с использованием лопат, лома, топора, ведра на верёвке и тачки,
бетонирование высотой 1 ярд 4 дюйма, выкладывание кирпичём ещё на такую же высоту, бетонирование перекрытия, насыпка слоя земли высотой той же высоты - используется ведро, совковая лопата, тачка)
А по-моему, тут завидовать надо. Люди своими руками сделали хорошее дело, и кроме собственного погреба, приобрели еще опыт и много разных эмоций.Quote:
Originally Posted by Selexin
Я ни о чём не жалею :) Было интересно. Верно и то, что сложно было растолстеть. Впрочем, думаю, многие занимались такими делами.
Кстати, я давно хочу спросить, что в России пьют за столом? Где-то читал, что вино пьют женщины. А чем нам мужчинам принято упиваться?
Традиционно - водку или коньяк (причём часто женщины пьют то же, что и мужчины).
В последнее время, правда, некоторые стали пить виски, ром, текилу и пр.
В общем-то - это дело вкуса. Если застолье у кого-то в гостях - пьют то, что стоит на столе, если в ресторане - каждый может заказать себе то, что ему нравится. Я, кстати, тоже часто пью белое вино. Когда хочется чего-нибудь крепенького - пью ром.
Ну и водку - когда выбор напитков не устраивает - водка в этом плане самый безопасный и нейтральный напиток.
К тому же, с хорошей водки (которую можно различить даже по запаху) с утра голова не болит, в отличие от всего остального.
Первый раз может быть и прикольно, но вот если приходится через это пройти еще раз то как то не очень хочется.Quote:
приобрели еще опыт и много разных эмоций.
Been there, done that...
Не перестаю удивляться как эту гадость еще не запретили выпускать. Это ж отрава!Quote:
водка в этом плане самый безопасный и нейтральный напиток.
Планирую поездку в Россию. Когда буду сидеть за столом с друзьями и они начнут пить алкоголь, как буду я не пить? Могу лгать, сказать, что врач велел не пить, но что еще?
Неужели русские не понимают, что алкоголь вренен организму?
Если совсем не хотите пить, попросите чтобы вам дали минералку и пейте ее. Вас поймут.Quote:
Могу лгать, сказать, что врач велел не пить, но что еще?
Но можете выпить пару стопариков, чтобы поддержать компанию. Вовсе не обязательно пить наравне со всеми!
Хороший алкоголь в малых количествах безвреден.Quote:
Неужели русские не понимают, что алкоголь вреден организму?
Можно просто сказать "не пью" и обычно это встречается с пониманием. Если кто-то настаивает, возможно стоит подумать над прекращением знакомства.Quote:
Originally Posted by chaika
Comment for the foreigners: "пару стопариков" may mean 200 gramm or 0.2 liter of strong alcohole. Not so much really. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Selexin
The main mistake many people do is trying to keep up with some seasoned drinking professional. Just know your dose, that's all. Nobody requires to drink as much as the rest do. If you don't want to drink - then don't. Most normal people will understand.
What concerns vodka - if you drink 50-100 ml it won't do you any harm, quite the opposite, especially if you had been eating some fat food (like pork, for example). It's only when you drink a bottle or seven :D you're in trouble.
Лучше просто сказать, что не пьете, это абсолютно нормально. Часто попадаю в подобные ситуации, поскольку пью крайне редко. Обычно говорю, что, к сожалению, пить сегодня не могу и пью сок или минералку. К тому же, почти в любой компании всегда есть кто-то, кто за рулем, так что в одиночестве, скорее всего, не будете. :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by chaika
Понимают, но, к сожалению, порой слишком поздно. Лично я не вижу ничего плохого в том, чтобы раз в месяц выпить немного в хорошей компании, от этого нет вреда, но многие просто не знают меру, и это довольно большая проблема для России.Quote:
Originally Posted by chaika