Russian cuisine has evolved over the centuries on the basis of Slavic culinary traditions and various dishes and cooking methods introduced from the outside. Contemporary Russian cuisine is not just a way of eating, it is also an important cultural asset along with language and customs.
Soups
It is not for nothing that soup is called the first course within the framework of a Russian lunch. It is he who is the basis of a traditional meal. Shchi remained the most common Russian soups for many centuries. This soup was prepared according to the traditional Russian technology - simmering in the oven. The main component of cabbage soup is cabbage, fresh or sauerkraut. The soup also included broth - it can be vegetable, meat, mushroom, and occasionally fish. Various vegetables were added to the cabbage soup - carrots, and from the 19th century - and potatoes. Cucumber or cabbage pickle could give the cabbage pickle a specific sour taste. Usually sour cream and rye bread were served with this soup.
A specific type of cabbage soup - daily allowance can be distinguished into a separate category. Unlike most soups, which can be served immediately after cooking, daily cabbage soup should be infused at least one night before use.
Another famous Russian soup is pickle. It has a specific sour taste. The pickle is cooked most often in meat, sometimes in vegetable broth. An important component of this soup is pickled cucumbers stewed in brine.
The main Russian fish soup is ukha. It can be cooked either from one type of fish or from a mixture of several types of fish. The classic ukha is cooked without adding cereals or noodles and with a small amount of vegetables - onions in the ear are required, and potatoes and carrots can be added as desired.
Porridge
One of the main national dishes of Russia is porridge. This dish can be served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are many types of cereals according to the type of raw materials used - buckwheat, oatmeal, semolina, pearl barley and others. Porridge is supplemented with various additives. Loose porridge is most often seasoned with butter. Also, porridge is often eaten with milk. Jam or honey is added to sweet cereals, and herbs, onions, mushrooms or meat are added to salty ones.
It is customary to eat not all cereals for breakfast - most often they serve sweet varieties, for example, semolina and oatmeal.
Pies
Another primordially Russian dish is pies. Traditional Russian pies are made from yeast dough, but puff pastry is increasingly used in modern Russian cuisine. The taste of a pie is primarily determined by its filling. It can be very diverse. Often there are pies with a simple filling - fried minced meat, pieces of fish, apples. Kulebyaki should be singled out in a separate category. These traditional Russian pies were prepared with several fillings that had to be stacked in layers. Sauce is often served with pies. Most often it is sour cream, and for sweet pies it can be mixed with sugar.
