ExploFood · Europe
What to eat in Russia
Five dishes to try in Russia, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Russia
Pelmeni Пельмени
Small boiled dumplings filled with minced meat.
How to have it: Eat with sour cream, butter or vinegar; pelmennaya cafés serve them cheaply.
Borscht Борщ
Beetroot soup with cabbage, potatoes and beef.
How to have it: Served with a spoon of sour cream and dark rye bread; on almost every set lunch.
Blini Блины
Thin pancakes served with sour cream, jam, caviar or fillings.
How to have it: Chains like Teremok sell them filled; Maslenitsa week before Lent is blini season.
Beef Stroganoff Бефстроганов
Strips of beef in a sour-cream and mushroom sauce.
How to have it: Served with buckwheat or mashed potatoes in canteens (stolovayas) and restaurants.
Kvass Квас
Lightly fermented, slightly sour drink made from rye bread.
How to have it: Sold in summer from street tanks and in bottles; also used as the base for cold okroshka soup.
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Questions
What food is Russia famous for?
Pelmeni (small boiled dumplings filled with minced meat) comes first on our list, followed by Borscht, Blini, Beef Stroganoff and Kvass.
What is the national dish of Russia?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Russia is Pelmeni: small boiled dumplings filled with minced meat. Eat with sour cream, butter or vinegar; pelmennaya cafés serve them cheaply.
Which dishes in Russia are vegetarian?
Two of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Blini and Kvass. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
What do people drink in Russia?
Kvass: lightly fermented, slightly sour drink made from rye bread.
How reliable is this list?
The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.
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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.