# Forum About Russia Culture and History  weird Russian delicacy

## russkayalove

OH MY ******* GOD!  Me and my boyfriend ate at his parents house and his mom served me meat surrounded in broth flavored gelatin in this little glass dish.  It looked funny, but I'm open minded when it comes to food, so began eating it.  I noticed the meat was really tough and chewy, and then my boyfriend told me it was cow tounge!  His mom told me it is a Russian delicacy, so I felt like I had to finish it.  I can't see how many people could really like this dish.

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## DenisM

> OH MY ******* GOD!  Me and my boyfriend ate at his parents house and his mom served me meat surrounded in broth flavored gelatin in this little glass dish.  It looked funny, but I'm open minded when it comes to food, so began eating it.  I noticed the meat was really tough and chewy, and then my boyfriend told me it was cow tounge!  His mom told me it is a Russian delicacy, so I felt like I had to finish it.  I can't see how many people could really like this dish.

 I don't like холодец ( broth flavored gelatin + usually cooked beef, not necessary cow tongue ) either, it's kind of slimy   :: . 
But cooked cow tongue - it's quite another matter! If it is done properly (i.e. cleaned up and cooked for several hours with different spices and then cooled down in a fridge), it's very tender and delicious and goes well with хрен (horseradish sauce).  And with vodka too  ::

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## BETEP

I like it. What is not to like about cow's tongues? May be it wasn't cooked well.

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## DDT

I prefer a large uncooked cows tongue as non-lethal personal defense.

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## DenisM

> I prefer a large uncooked cows tongue as non-lethal personal defense.

 LOL   ::

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## pisces

*russkayalove*
Cow's tongue is really delicious if properly cooked (and, as mentioned above, in combination with горчица or хрен and водка it is even better). And it is not usually put into gelatine before serving.
Good коровий язык (cow's tongue) is not tough or chewy at all. It тает во рту (melts in the mouth literally) instead. The one you ate was simply improperly cooked.
Холодец is a different kind of product and is not usually made of коровий язык, but it is very tasty if properly cooked too. And again, it is usually served with хрен (and sometimes водка  :: ).

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## DDT

Well I don't know about you mate  but I'm starting to think that it's the consumsion of the vodka that makes the tongue taste so good and tender. This is the second post to metion the vodka factor.   Hmmm...!

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## pisces

No, водка is not necessary. It was a kind of joke of course (just to fit the common image of the Russian  :: ). 
Although водка can sometimes be pleasant, for example, when you return home from -30 deg centigrade in the street (which nowadays is a rare condition, maybe due to global warming). 
I am russian and I drink водка quite rarely, maybe one or two times a year.

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## DDT

What kind of a world would it be without stereotypes?
 I just spent most of the day with 200 Russians, Ukranians and a few Moldovians and not one of them pulled out a bottle of vodka  during lunch........or a cows tongue.  Actually they don't drink at all.
PS By the way the  borsch was excellent. I think I could live on that stuff.

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## BETEP

> Actually they don't drink at all.

 Hm... Let me guess. Are you in jail or in hospital?  ::

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## BlackMage

The prospect of tasting something that could once taste me is a little wierd.

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## DDT

> Originally Posted by DDT  Actually they don't drink at all.   Hm... Let me guess. Are you in jail or in hospital?

 You are very close..........Church!

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## BETEP

> You are very close..........Church!

 Some people don't drink at all, and you have already seen all of them. Have you made a list? Have you checked it twice? Do you want to find out who was sober and nice?  ::

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## DDT

Sober and nice?........There were some very pretty ....and sober and nice.......Ukranian girls attending this service also. Unfortunatly they had to drive to their homes in Seattle after dinner. .........PS.  I don't know but perhaps they had to get back to unthaw a frozen cow's tongue from their freezer.  ::

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## BETEP

@DDT: Don't take me so serious. I'm just kidding.  ::  
CV:
nick: BETEP
hobby: I make inappropriate jokes all the time.

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## DDT

::

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## russkayalove

well this was definatley not tender cow tounge, maybe next time I'll have to tell her to cook it right and pour me some grey goose as well!

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## BETEP

> well this was definatley not tender cow tounge, maybe next time I'll have to tell her to cook it right and pour me some grey goose as well!

 Anyway, now you are able to understand people who don't like American fast food.  ::

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## N

> maybe next time I'll have to tell her to cook it right

 Tell to a housewife that her cooking is a wrong-made  ::   ::   ::   ::  She may consider that as a mortal affront . She won't take the insult lying down  ::

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## russkayalove

I was kidding   ::  , there's no way I would tell her that! I think not finishing it will say enough anyways.  There's been some, well, different things I've eaten there, which I will just eat anyways, like okroshka, but the cow tounge was too much for me. I guess it's an aquired taste.

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## DenisM

> I was kidding   , there's no way I would tell her that! I think not finishing it will say enough anyways.  There's been some, well, different things I've eaten there, which I will just eat anyways, like okroshka, but the cow tounge was too much for me. I guess it's an aquired taste.

 Окрошка is weird but delicious  :: . 
It's my personal favorite for hot summer days.

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## DDT

I ate some cold "fishy" stuff in a clear glaze  sauce last week. It was brown and shredded looking.  I did not realize that it was a fish dish untill I put it to my lips but as soon as I did "it like freaked me out man". It was powerfull and pungient, I won't try that again. Does anyone have any ideas on what it may have been?.....I mean I would not want to make that mistake twice.

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## DenisM

> I ate some cold "fishy" stuff in a clear glaze  sauce last week. It was brown and shredded looking.  I did not realize that it was a fish dish untill I put it to my lips but as soon as I did "it like freaked me out man". It was powerfull and pungient, I won't try that again. Does anyone have any ideas on what it may have been?.....I mean I would not want to make that mistake twice.

 Hmm not sure what it is... What kind of fish was in there? 
But I bet you wouldn't like селедку под шубой ( mainly herrings + beets) either  ::   
You can imagine how easy it is for russians to eat sushi, raw fish or oysters after that  ::

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## DDT

Don't know what kind of fish. I ask someone what it was when I see them next week. 
Nice pictures!

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## russkayalove

speaking of okroshka, it seems like I'm the only one who thinks this..... doesn't kvas taste like prune juice?

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## DenisM

> speaking of okroshka, it seems like I'm the only one who thinks this..... doesn't kvas taste like prune juice?

 Well, the real kvas is
a) not sweet but sour and just lightly sweet
b) not carbonated
c) made from roasted rye bread and special kind of natural yeast, not from some kind of concentrate 
I only know the one place where I can buy such a fresh "live" kvas ( i.e. with fermentation process not stopped ) in SF bay area. And kvas there it is not very cheap.  
All other bottled and carbonated brands of kvas available in US are closer to a root beer unfortunately  ::

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## russkayalove

yea, the kvas I've tried comes in a plastic soda bottle, but its not carbonated.  I don't think It's real kvas.

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## JenTheSquirrel

Hey, does anyone know about this ? 
About 20 years ago my grandfather served up this strange, cold stuff, he said it was a Russian tea...can't remember what he called it. 
It was made in a bucket which had water with this fungal  "culture" floating on top,  about the size of a plate. 
It tasted mildly sweet.

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## JB

It may have been "home brew" kvas with the soggy fermenting bread being the floaty stuff.

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## Lampada

> *Hey, does anyone know about this ?
> About 20 years ago my grandfather served up this strange, cold stuff, he said it was a Russian tea...can't remember what he called it.
> It was made in a bucket which had water with this fungal  "culture" floating on top,  about the size of a plate.
> It tasted mildly sweet*.

 It could be kambucha tea.  We called it china tea.  http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kmi/KColony.html http://www.kombuchatea.co.uk/ http://w3.trib.com/~kombu/

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## VendingMachine

Where I'm from we make a drink called скромпи. It's a bit like cider, but is so strong it can knock you off your feet. (Judging by others, you all remember I'm teatotal). BTW, cider is сидр in Russian but the village I'm from has a rather peculiar local form of that word - зойдер. I think if Jasper was around he'd be pleasantly surprised.

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## Propp

> Hey, does anyone know about this ? 
> About 20 years ago my grandfather served up this strange, cold stuff, he said it was a Russian tea...can't remember what he called it. 
> It was made in a bucket which had water with this fungal  "culture" floating on top,  about the size of a plate. 
> It tasted mildly sweet.

 It is called "гриб".

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## DenisM

> Originally Posted by JenTheSquirrel  Hey, does anyone know about this ? 
> About 20 years ago my grandfather served up this strange, cold stuff, he said it was a Russian tea...can't remember what he called it. 
> It was made in a bucket which had water with this fungal  "culture" floating on top,  about the size of a plate. 
> It tasted mildly sweet.   It is called "гриб".

 Или "чайный гриб".  А еще бывает кефирный гриб, который, соответственно, перерабатывает молоко в кефир (kefir).

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