So I didn’t go to Russia just to eat – but when in Rome…. so I ate and drank like a Russian!!
Why not pin me for later?!
Drinking like a Russian
I’ll get around to the eating part later.
yes, New Year’s eve got messy…
I was in Moscow for New Year’s Eve and as the plan was to be outside in or near the Red Square for midnight, a vodka coat was required. To drink vodka like a Russian you need to remember a few things:
- Don’t drink alone
- Never mix your vodka
- Don’t sip your vodka! (straight up shots are required)
- Never drink without a toast beforehand – preferably someone quoting a poem or speech
- Apparently the men are supposed to pour for the women (only works if you have a man!)
Therefore we had a few shots…. and the vodka coat worked (it helped that it wasn’t minus 20!)
New year’s eve traditions
As it was New Year’s we also stocked up on bubbly to drink in the traditional Russian way. Apparently you have to open the bottle on the first stroke of midnight, pour and drink your glass before the last stroke of midnight. There is also a part about writing down a wish on a bit of paper, burning the wish and adding the ashes to your glass as you drink… but we didn’t want to play with fire!
New Year’s Eve opposite the Kremlin in style!
New country new beer!
Russia was a new country for me (number 56), so as has become my custom the first new beer was to be celebrated!
Large beers! Hello country 56!
I didn’t drink a lot of beer but, Baltika 7 was the main one available.
Other drinks
It’s not all vodka! As it was cold weather (down to minus 21 in St Petersberg, -35 with windchill) we needed plenty of hot drinks. Amongst the coffee (including some at a Cat cafe in St Petersberg!) was the hot chocolate:
Hot chocolate in St Petersberg, maybe not the best but with the best mini marshmallow topping for sure!
There was plenty of mulled wine around at all the Christmas markets too.
But just in case of more alcohol being required why not have some hot mulled wine?!
I didn’t indulge much in Russian wine as I really prefer red wine in the cold and the Russian’s like theirs sweet, rather than dry. However when we found LED Loves Wine in St Petersberg, this was a chance to try a tasting flight!
Burnier wine tasting flight
Domaines Burnier was set up after Swiss Renaud Burnier heard about wine production in the Russian Black Sea. The Domaine only produces a small volume of wine in Russia and has only been producing wine since 2009. The tasting flight was four of their wines:
- A delicious Chardonnay, rounded buttery and well balanced
- The Lublu, a dry white wine – nothing remarkable about this one
- The Merlot, 2011 which was very oaky in taste
- The Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008, which had been aged for 18 months in French oak – very smooth!
It was definitely a great spot finding this place in St Petersberg!
Snacks
So many pastries!! I wanted to try them all, however not all were the best! Russian pastries usually have ‘meat’ in them, which might mean beef or lamb, I’m not entirely sure… the best were obviously the sweet ones with jam and fruit in them!
A selection of the pastries, baked and deep fried that we found at our local deli in Moscow
How pretty is this gingerbread?! We were given this in Pskov in the Russian countryside by Santa, after performing for him before our banya (we’d just gotten off a 16 hour overnight train, it was all a little surreal…)
Pancakes or blinis
Russia is famous for its blinis which are basically pancakes. We got the small ones for breakfast, the tiny ones as canapes and the crepe style ones filled with savoury or sweet stuff as a quick lunch,
Tepemok is a Russian fast food chain that does a LOT of pancakes. I had the chicken, mushroom and cheese (square one), with the apple and caramel for dessert.
Traditional Russian dishes
Borscht
You can’t come to Russia without trying Borscht. This pink soup is made with beetroot and is traditionally served with strips of beef, sour cream and dill garnishing.
Beef Stroganoff
Beef stroganoff. This is sauteed beef with mushrooms and a sour cream sauce, usually served with mash, although I had it with pearl barley and onions in Moscow too. They reckon this dish was created in St Petersberg, although people make it all around the world!
Pancakes (again!)
Yes I had more pancakes (this was a different day!) This one was served with the traditional jam. Did you know that Russian’s use jam to sweeten their tea? Jam and pickles are big as a way to preserve fruit and vegetables in the long winters.
Pub grub, aka meat
Oh yeah we found a beer house with some ‘pub grub’
Clockwise from top left: traditional sausage served with pickled vegetables; a meat fritter, the eponymous dumplings; and a potato and ham (or bacon?) soup. Meat features big here! Dumplings you could find served with a side of sour cream in most places – they are usually pork or lamb. The meat fritter reminded me of Scandi meatballs
Chicken Kiev
The chicken Kiev we had at Taste&Eat restaurant before the ballet in St Petersberg was a revelation!
So prettily presented! Served with mash, mini beetroots, crispy onions, this chicken Kiev was served on the bone. Inside it was very different to the overpowering garlic butter you get in the UK. The breast was stuffed with a herb butter – think dill and parsley – the better to keep the chicken moist. Very delicious!
Let’s peak at the inside – see what I mean about the herbs!
Dessert at Taste&Eat – a kind of banoffee pie, but without the banana. I think the berries on top were rowan berries. It was certainly very tasty without being too rich.
Bonus: Georgian food
Where we were staying in the suburbs of Moscow had a Georgian restaurant very close by, so one evening we checked it out:
Apricot chicken, served with a fruity sauce, pear and almonds. I also chose a cheese corn bread to go with it, probably not the best choice, but both were very delicious on their own.
Pot pie! Stew and those kind of meaty slow cooked dishes are big all over Russia and Georgia is no exception. Nicole enjoyed eating the thin ‘cracker like’ top on this lamb stew.
Verdict
If you know me, you know I like to eat my way around countries… Whilst not everything I try will be to my taste, I always find some hidden gems this way! In Russia I was not disappointed and came back fatter…
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Ryan says
Wow. That made me hungry! The pastries, chicken Kiev and hot chocolate looked ?!
Katie Hughes says
Thanks Ryan – I certainly ate a lot ?
Flo @ Yoga, Wine & Travel says
I love that you started with the drinks – I wouldn’t expect anything less! Interesting vodka rules – I’m not sure I could stomach shot after shot….how did you handle it?!
Katie Hughes says
You pace yourself Flo! Usually drinking with food and you have other drinks between (like juice, wine or beer!)
Alaine says
The Chicken Kiev looks amazing! I love Pierogi dumplings! I could eat potato and meat pierogis all day!
Katie Hughes says
The Kiev was amazing Alaine – dumplings varied in quality depending on where you were, but worth trying!!
Morgan says
You’re making me hungry! I want to try the pancakes and Chicken Kiev so badly. Definitely need to go try Russia’s food. xx Morgan
Katie Hughes says
It’s totally worth the trip Morgan!
Agness of a TukTuk says
I just love the excited face of the young seller on the photo with pastries LOL
Katie Hughes says
Ooh yes they were totally excited about the foreigners lol!!
Lena says
Oh this makes me so homesick! I am Ukrainian and our food and drink culture is quite similar. It is fun to hear a foreigner’s view on our New Years Eve traditions. When you live with them, you never think about how bizarre they are. I still write down my wishes when the clock strikes, without drinking the ashes though 🙂
Katie Hughes says
That’s so cool Lena! I like seeing what different cultures do!