Russian Cuisine

Russian cuisine is a hearty, warming and generous tradition, shaped by a vast land and long, hard winters. The best-known soup on Russian tables is borscht, the ruby-red beetroot soup of Ukrainian origin beloved across the region served with a swirl of sour cream, one of many rich soups alongside cabbage shchi and fish solyanka. The table also offers delicate blini pancakes rolled around fillings or topped, on special occasions, with caviar, plump pelmeni dumplings, savoury pirozhki pastries, buckwheat kasha, dark rye bread, cured fish and pickles, and the layered festive salads of the Russian holiday feast. Rounded off with sweet honey cakes and glasses of tea from the samovar, it is comfort food built for the cold.

The main sights

• Borscht - the ruby beetroot soup with sour cream.
• Blini and caviar - the delicate pancakes, sometimes with caviar.
• Pelmeni - the plump meat-filled dumplings.
• The bread and pickles - the dark rye bread, cured fish and pickles.

When to go

Year-round; Russia's hearty cuisine is at its most comforting in the cold months, and its food is enjoyed across the country and through the Russian diaspora worldwide. From borscht and blini to dumplings and honey cake, it is a warming, generous tradition in every season.

Practical notes

Some of the most celebrated touches, such as good caviar atop blini, are a genuine treat and priced accordingly, while the everyday dishes of soups, dumplings and bread are humble and hearty. As a warming, generous and deeply comforting tradition, from ruby borscht to blini and dumplings, though, Russian cuisine is a real pleasure and a fine way to experience the culture.

Nearby

Moscow and St Petersburg's restaurants, and Russian eateries abroad, all serve it.