Probably each nation has products it is obsessed with. You cannot imagine a Greek home without olive oil, an Indian dish without spices, an Italian kitchen without pasta. But what about Russia? Which products can be found in most homes here? Which products form a daily Russian diet? Let’s find out in today’s article!
Sour cream, kefir, and cottage cheese
Russians love dairy products, and there are many types of those going far beyond milk and yogurt. Many Russians can’t live without sour cream – it is usually an add for most traditional Russian soups like borsch and shchi. Here you can check our article about the traditional Russian dishes. Some really love kefir and ryazhenka that are different types of fermented milk. Cottage cheese is also very popular here and it can be eaten on its own, with sour cream, with jams, and also be a base for some dishes like syrniki (cottage cheese pancakes).
Buckweat
Russians seem to be obsessed with buckwheat, that is grechka in Russian. It was the first thing that disappeared from shops in March 2020 when the first lockdown was announced and if you find a Russian, who doesn’t eat buckwheat – let us know! Why this grain is that popular in Russia? It has a long history here and first appeared on tables in the XII century. It easily grows in local soils and that is really important, grechka is a kind of superfood as it is very nutritive. By the way, Russian doesn’t eat that much green buckwheat, the one you will find in Russian homes is usually brown (fried).
Bread
Bread is an essential product for Russians. And while white bread is widespread around the world, you cannot say the same about the “black” bread, especially about the rye one. When Russians go abroad, you can usually hear the same comments “there is no bread there”, “I miss bread so much!”. And that’s when Russian is out of the country just for a couple of weeks. Russian, especially the older generations, can eat everything with bread, not just soups or sandwiches – everything, literally. Bread is not just food here, it’s a part of the local cultural code.
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