Russian cuisine abroad. Russian dishes that foreigners love
On February 2, 2004, the first Institute for the study of taste sensations, gastronomy and the art of table setting was opened in France. It is really interesting to study taste sensations by comparing the cuisines of different countries.
Globalization invades even such an intimate area as national cuisine. Increasingly, people amuse themselves by looking into cookbooks other peoples and are horrified to learn that foreign gourmets are eating fried grasshoppers or guinea pigs. At the same time, Russians practically do not think that their menu may seem very strange to many foreigners. We have prepared ten Russian dishes that always surprise the guests of our country.
To begin with, we must warn that everything, of course, depends on the nationality of the tourists. The Japanese, even prepared by European cuisine, will be amazed by almost half of what they see on the table in an ordinary Russian family. But the Greeks in general will calmly accept Russian treats, but they are taken aback by some dishes. In general, not everything is so scary. For example, many believe that foreigners do not eat lard, although in Eastern Europe and Germany it is no less common than in our country.
Refined Americans stand apart. They are practically not surprised by anything, but at the same time they refuse to even try many of the products that are common to us. For example, herring. In their understanding, the fish remains raw until it has been in the oven or in the pan. In most cases, they will not put cabbage rolls on a plate. They treat ground meat “in leaves” with suspicion. But there are always dishes that cause a real storm of emotions in almost everyone.
Aspic
The very idea will seem strange to Europeans, Asians, and residents of both Americas. It is almost impossible to explain why the broth with meat is specially cooled to a jelly-like state. “Did they add meat to the jelly? Yes, you are joking! is the standard response. And they simply refuse to believe that for this it is necessary to boil pork hooves. Some seriously talk about the mysterious Russian soul, which loves ice and everything cold. But a tourist will be even more surprised if he is offered to eat with him with horseradish.
Okroshka
Russian love for soups seems old-fashioned to many foreigners, but there is one soup that consistently dazzles them. This is a crumb. Especially the option that is on kvass. If everyone is now more or less familiar with kefir, then kvass is tried for the first time in Russia and usually they don’t ask for a second time. And the very idea of chopping sausages, cucumbers and other goodies into it leads to a slight shell shock. Many generally refuse to believe that this is not a joke, and they really eat okroshka. For them, it's like pouring Coca-Cola on a salad and saying what it is.
cabbage soup
They do not understand cabbage soup either, especially the traditional sour ones. There are soups in the world that are a bit like them, for example bonn soup in Germany or cabbage in the Czech Republic. But still before real cabbage soup they all fail. The Russian version is too sour, spicy and generally contains a lot of vegetables. Some outsiders even call them broth salad. The last, however, sin all Russian soups.
Kissel
Russians themselves confuse this drink or dish, and its popularity is falling, but for the guests of our country, this is generally one big mystery. The strange consistency is to blame for everything. This is not jelly, and not fruit drink, but something in between. If you pour it into a cup, then guests and foreigners perceive it even more or less normally, although they strive to dilute it with boiling water. But if you serve it in a deep bowl, like soup, then their picture of the world is finally bursting at the seams.
The vinaigrette
Russian salads are a topic for a separate discussion. Europeans and Americans who have visited Russia consider them some amazing achievement of the national cuisine and are sincerely surprised when they are told that they came from Europe. In any case, now what is cooked in Moscow is fundamentally different from what will be served to you in a restaurant in Paris or Berlin. Foreigners like many salads. For example, the same Olivier. In some countries it is even sold almost ready in tin cans. The only exception is the vinaigrette. First of all, it's embarrassing appearance. If you still manage to feed a guest with it, the first thing he will ask is: “boiled vegetables?”, And then he may ask why they were chopped so finely.
Herring under a Fur Coat
The salad is unique in that everyone can find something that he does not like. The Chinese will not understand the abundant use of mayonnaise, the European will be suspicious of a set of finely grated vegetables, and the American will refuse to eat "raw" fish in his understanding. And almost everyone will say that the combination of products is just wild. This dish is a must holiday table in Russia, it is almost impossible to force a foreigner to try. On the other hand, those of them who move to us for a long time, sooner or later fall in love with him.
Buckwheat porridge with mushrooms
The combination is considered classic in Russia, but in the world it would be considered a slight perversion. Even in India, where buckwheat comes from, it is considered a non-prestigious food and is not consumed in the form of porridge, it is made into food. In principle, in addition to the post-Soviet space and Poland, she is also loved in Korea and Japan. In addition, spoil all mushrooms. Almost all over the world, such a dish can even call the police, believing that this is an attempt at poisoning. Many still classify almost all mushrooms as poisonous.
Pies with cabbage
You should not think that pies are not made anywhere in the world. In fact, this idea is quite common. Sambusa, samosa, taiyaki, knyshi, empanadity, kifle - this is not a complete list of various analogues. But no one will use as a filling white cabbage. As you have probably noticed, the Russians' addiction to this vegetable is almost not approved anywhere in the world. But it’s really bad when they put sour. Only a few can withstand this combination.
Kurnik
Don't even try to feed it to anyone outside of Russia. Only the Chinese perceive this adequately. Made something incomprehensible from what was left in the refrigerator? Well then! They are not used to it. The rest will just get offended. The only way is to try to convince that this is something like Russian pizza, but this will help only once, and even then the guest will tell everyone about your deceit and cunning.
Draniki
The dish is more of Belarusian cuisine, but in Russia it is cooked quite often. A tasty and inexpensive substitute for mashed or fried potatoes. Foreigners do not believe for a long time that it is she, and then they wonder for a long time why it was necessary to mock her like that. Probably after this, there are rumors that the Russians make pancakes from everything they can reach.
Maxim Usachov
Canned cucumbers, sliced loaf, salad from crab sticks and other food that seems genuinely Russian to foreigners living in Moscow
JOAQUIN ADRIAN CAUDILLO PINA, pilot, 23 years old, Mexico:
“When I went to Russia, I decided that I would speak, eat and live only in Russian. I really like your Russian food, especially homemade. Canned cucumbers, tomatoes, all these grandmother's jams amazed me when I first tried them. It's great that home traditions are still preserved. Moreover, the service and general attitude towards customers here is a minus. In restaurants, waiters ask: “What do you want?” In stores, sellers are rude, you can’t ask anyone for anything ... Therefore, I often go to visit friends. They taught me to drink beer with dried fish - I also have not seen this in any other country. At first he resisted, did not even want to try because of the terrible smell and appearance. And then it turned out to be very tasty, now I only eat fish with beer. It seems to be called vobla. I saw in the movies how old people banged fish on the table before eating it. It's a lot of fun and very Russian - I do that sometimes too. I am also always amused by “meat in French”. In addition to the name, there is nothing French in it - in France I have never met meat with cheese and tomatoes. But it sounds important. A truly Russian national product- this is a cut loaf. The personification of your entire country, I believe, is white, simple and most often not the first freshness. But very tasty."
HETOR BRACCAMONTE, football player, 30, Argentina:
“Russian food culture is very different from ours: In Argentina, we hardly have breakfast, and Russians can have soup for breakfast. It's amazing, we consider it gluttony. In turn, we have dinner very late, and in Moscow they traditionally have dinner at 7-8 pm. The food here is very tasty, especially borscht and dumplings. Not very original, but it's really very tasty. But the meat that is sold in your stores cannot be compared with Argentinean. Real Argentinean meat can only be obtained from our embassy, so our Russian friends buy it and have meat parties on the weekends.”
PEDRO, student, 21, Chile:
“In Russian cuisine, the main thing is meat. Russia is similar to big piece meat: tough weather, serious people, Siberia, the strength you need to survive your endless winter. I like barbecue here the most. You have very healthy food: Russians often eat vegetables, do not overeat, as in America, and constantly drink tea. I have never seen people drink so much tea. In Chile, there is a fife-o-clock tradition, in the English manner - at 6-7 pm we eat snacks and drink tea, most often with milk. But you drink it all the time: for breakfast, lunch and after dinner. Even in clubs, at three in the morning, some people order tea. I'm already used to it and drink it myself - I think it's good for health. In addition, in Moscow you can not drink water from the tap. A few days after my arrival, I saw an advertisement on the subway for some kind of water filter with the slogan: “Now you can drink water straight from the tap!” I was shocked. Here you can walk through the park and ask the gardener for a hose with water to drink, but in Moscow it is considered wildness, the water tastes just disgusting, and it is dangerous to drink it.
DANIEL ESTEBAN SILVA CALVOPINA, environmentalist, 19 years old, Ecuador:
“I miss bananas the most. Only yellow ones are sold here, which you need to eat, removing the peel. And we have a lot of different ones: yellow, green, red, small, very large. Small bananas can, for example, be cut into pieces and fried as potato chips. And you can mash green bananas, add meat and cheese, make cutlets and throw them into boiling oil - overeating. I really miss this - you absolutely do not know how to cook Latin American food. There is Mexican, Brazilian, but in Quito it is still different. Your borscht is somewhat similar to an undercooked gazpacho, and that's what I like about it. Of course, not so tasty, but at least something native. And caviar, which everyone praises so much and which is so expensive, is, in my opinion, just too salty sushi. And from fast food, I like “Little Potato” the most. So unusual: a mutant potato with meat, lettuce, mushrooms and whatever you want. I have never seen anything like this in Quito. It's national fast food - a brilliant idea. There are tents on every corner and most people eat there. It's also clean, I've seen them cook everything neatly with gloves on. Harmful, probably, but what to do - it's impossible to resist.
FRANCIS MERSON, journalist, 29, Australia-UK:
“I like your dairy products the most. Ryazhenka, kefir, cottage cheese, varenets - it's incredibly tasty and healthy, moreover, there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. I will miss Russian kefir when I leave. More milk soup- a very unusual dish that is cooked only at your place. I tried to make it at home, but it didn't work. And for the first time I tried it in "Mu-Mu" - an excellent cafe with real Russian food, by the way. You delicious cuisine but you have no idea about healthy eating: everywhere you add sour cream, mayonnaise, all dishes are high-calorie. Recently, an organic cafe was closed on Ostozhenka - no one went there. I hope that over time the cult of health will develop, but for now it is very difficult to get in Moscow clean products. I often have to eat dumplings - a tasty, but harmful thing. Many foreigners, by the way, are not even aware of their existence until they arrive in Russia. This is a very original fast food, a good substitute for sandwiches. Breakfasts in Russia are very different from English ones: we do not have such a variety of dishes. An English family can eat the same cereal in the morning for half a year, and no one gets bored. And you have something new every day: cottage cheese, pancakes, pancakes, scrambled eggs, sandwiches.
JULIEN BRISSO, engineer, 26, France:
“In France, almost all products in stores are very good quality. For some reason, what we buy for every day is considered a luxury in your country. good cheeses, meat, bread in Moscow are sold in elite stores and are very expensive. Moreover, many of these products are imported from France, but even I cannot buy them every day. But you have the most delicious fish in the world. I have never tasted such fresh, soft salmon as in Siberia. In France, many people cannot afford to buy seafood, here they are much more affordable: in your stores, entire counters are filled with caviar, and we usually have one small jar for big money. Many French people associate Russia with king crab - it is famous all over the world.
Before coming here, I thought that Russians eat a lot and mostly simple food: chicken, beef, vegetables, potatoes. Your food is indeed healthier than French food. For example, it is not customary for us to eat soup as often as in Russia, it is even considered old-fashioned. I think we should bring soup back into fashion - it's good for health.
I was very surprised when I tried Russian pancakes. Actually, this specialty of the house we have in Brittany. But your "Teremok" is in no way inferior to the real French pancakes. I go there every chance I get, it's delicious."
DENNIS SCHARBERT, manager, 23, Germany:
“Your milk is absolutely impossible to drink - it tastes terrible, as if fresh from under a cow and not even purified. But you have crab sticks, I have never tried them before. My girlfriend once cooked a salad of crab sticks. She said it's yours traditional salad- tasty. You also eat soup as a main course, but with us it's just an appetizer. We never have breakfast hot food. Even an omelet in the morning is considered gluttony, and in Russia it’s normal to even eat a chicken. I want to try kvass, many people have told me about it. Friends tried it and didn't like it at all. It's bread and water, right? It is very curious to drink this, the idea is quite wild.
I hope that in Germany they will learn how to make cookies, as in Russia. Anniversary, especially with chocolate, is the most delicious cookies in the world. But chocolate candies you don't care. I tried it several times and was always surprised: how chocolate can be completely different. chocolate flavor? I will also miss your cheap chewing gum - it costs about 50 rubles with us. ”
KAMAR TANDURO, Entrepreneur, 34, Nigeria:
“Moscow is very delicious vegetables. Of course, not in stores, but in large markets - on Dorogomilovsky, for example. I go there every weekend for groceries and enjoy the whole week afterwards: peppers, tomatoes, beans are just incredible. I don't even know why, but we don't have them. And the rest of the food you have is exactly the same as everywhere else.
American, Chinese, French, Ukrainian, Russian - the national cuisine of each of us has its own characteristics, pronounced tastes, aromas. What Asians adore, we consider a curiosity. Some people say the same about our dishes.
By the way, have you ever thought about how, for example, Americans treat dumplings with sour cream, juicy dumplings with cherries or potato pancakes?
1. Pancakes with red caviar and sour cream
Of course, such a filling (meaning red caviar) can not be eaten every day, but for a special occasion, you just want to replace the usual cottage cheese with raisins or mushrooms with onions for something royal. Interestingly, Americans are surprised when they find out that we love to eat pancakes with sour cream and marmalade (in their case, the latter is jam).
For many, this name evokes memories of the New Year's Eve. Foreigners cannot understand what is the beauty of such a cake, filled with an abundant layer of mayonnaise, but they only need to try this deliciousness ...
3. Boiled sausage
You know, foreigners associate this product with something incomprehensible, spongy, and if you live in the USA and bring a sandwich with such sausage to work or school, then they will look at you as if you came with an alien.
True, the French do not even realize that there is such a salad with French name. What is it like Buffet, which the Swedes call Russian. And Americans believe that this is an ordinary potato salad with a small amount of vegetables, eggs and sausage. Oh, yes, for some reason, like most dishes, it is richly seasoned with mayonnaise. In any case, they are crazy about Olivier.
5. All marinated
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Pickled mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini - all this is tastier in this form. True, foreigners believe that we make twists necessarily in order to have a snack with them after a glass of something intoxicating.
Agree that we are somehow used to the sometimes not very aesthetic appearance of this dish. Meat in gelatin is the first thing that comes to mind for lovers of tacos and french fries. Just imagine that with silicone molds jellied meat can be given any shape.
Pig fat is what foreign guests see in this product.
This one is incredible delicious drink, which many Americans mistake for sour juice with hints of fermentation.
9. Sandwich with mayonnaise, onion and herring fillet
You will not believe it, but many foreigners believe that we eat such a sandwich only when we drink something alcoholic. By the way, a similar sandwich is also popular in the Netherlands.
Cold kefir co fresh cucumber, boiled sausage and dill - what could be tastier than this cooling summer dish? You know, it seems to foreigners that ingredients from yesterday's half-eaten soup go into okroshka.
Any meat and something sour - that's the whole soup. This is what every inhabitant of the stone American jungle sees in a hodgepodge.
Believe it or not, those who try this dish for the first time call it fruit soup.
13. Sausage in the gut
This is a traditional Belarusian dish. Many adore him, first of all, for naturalness. To be honest, Americans are immediately scared off by its appearance, but after trying it, they understand how tasty and satisfying it is.
For foreigners, this is a delicious analogue of fruit punch, which many of them are crazy about.
Americans wonder why we have the same ingredients in almost every salad, and yes, they always wonder if mayonnaise is coming back as a dressing.
16. Vareniki with cherries
Fruit dumplings or dumplings - that's exactly what our overseas guests call them. In any case, a sweet delicacy will appeal to everyone.
Not every foreigner is ready to taste this product. Probably just because it doesn't look very appetizing. Well, let it be, we don’t say anything that they sell canned hamburgers.
And finally, now you can see for yourself what foreigners think about our food.
What do you think Russians eat for breakfast (according to the average foreigner)? Well, after they polish the red star on the earflaps? Of course, pancakes with caviar and a glass of vodka. Otherwise, how to survive this eternal forty-degree frost? Yes, and a tame bear here you need to walk ...
Do not believe that in the age of supersonic speeds and the Internet, such delusional ideas are still common? In vain. For the majority of foreign inhabitants, the prevailing stereotypes about Russians, their culture and cuisine are much more familiar and accessible than the truth. It would seem that such a spreading cranberry should have died a long time ago on the vine, but no - it blooms luxuriantly and spikes.
But stories and distorted ideas are not so bad. A real extreme is to taste Russian dishes somewhere in a foreign restaurant! Finding such establishments is always easy - the names do not shine with originality: "Kalinki - Matryoshki - Cossacks", inclined in every way, will affably invite you to a truly Russian menu.
However, even if the Russian classic “can’t understand Russia with the mind”, then Russian cuisine is not given to the busurmans, apparently, to comprehend at all.
Borscht under spreading sakura
The Japanese, as people are very serious and scrupulous, responsibly approach the preparation of Russian dishes in their restaurants. You will be served red borscht, as it should be, but only ... without beets. The TOMATO gives color to this dish! How so? But like this! It is very difficult to find beetroot in the country of rice and wasabi; in Japan it is almost never grown. For that, the menus of the local Russian restaurants will delight you with such amazing names as "pancake pies" and purely Russian dishes "kebab" and "kebab". Agree, it is already worth a look - if not to eat, then to laugh.
Although we will not be offended by the Japanese. Are you sure that all the recipes in the trendiest sushi bar in your city are authentic? And the chef there is Japanese, as stated in the advertisement, and not our “Kalmyk friend of the steppes”, who graduated from the local culinary college? However, if no one is alarmed by such pure Japanese names rolls, as well as the nationality of the attendants, you see, should no longer play a role.
Russian dishes in European style
In many European countries"Russian salad" is very popular. They even sell it there. ready-made, in jars. Shall we give foreigners credit for trying to popularize our domestic cuisine? It would be possible if it were not for the extremely unusual appearance and set of components. Looking at potatoes, carrots and green pea as part of the recipe, it is reasonable to suspect that we are talking about, but ... As you can see, the peas there, judging by the photographs on the jars, are really GREEN, that is, fresh. And the most original component of this gastronomic composition, perhaps, is green green beans. Have you met her in at least one Russian dish?
In Spain, there is an opinion about the Russian salad. It also has peas. There are also purely Russian shrimp with olives in the composition of the ingredients - well, of course, in Russia, olives grow in every garden, and shrimp are not translated in every pond. Maybe the Spaniards with quivering respect reproduce? Hm ... But for some reason they replaced the hazel grouse ... with TUNA!
Well, the highlight of the collection of Russian salads is, perhaps, the German version. this dish: from boiled sausage, champignons and paprika. Yah? Well, yes! And we didn't know!
In general, it must be said that in many foreign countries there are Russian dishes, which in Russia "have never heard of, never seen."
One of our compatriots, traveling through Germany, stopped at a German friend's house. They decided to pamper him with a Russian breakfast in the morning. Can you imagine the stunnedness of our fellow countryman when he was served buckwheat mixed with pieces of fruit and nuts, abundantly poured with orange juice?!
You can forgive the Germans for a failed impromptu with buckwheat. You will not find it abroad during the day with fire, only in specialized stores and departments. How can foreigners know how to use such exotic things correctly? It's like a delicacy there - it's rare, it's expensive. In Japan, it is generally a condiment. Sold in bags of several tens of grams, rice is flavored with it. For this simple reason, a serving of "Russian buckwheat porridge" in Japanese restaurant will cost you about a thousand rubles. So, the next time you wrap a boiled core at home, rejoice not only in its friability, but also in its cheapness.
But you can, you know, make “Russian dishes” with ingredients available abroad!
As you like" eggs in Russian "? “Put mayonnaise with olives on boiled egg halves and garnish with anchovies.” Do you want anchovies? Garnish with synthetic black caviar. Caviar (even synthetic) is always in Russian. No matter what foreigners sprinkle on it, everything turns out “in Russian”. Boiled potatoes, poured with hollandaise sauce, sprinkled with caviar - ready Russian potato. Yep, that's how we eat it!
And German children, for example, love " Russian bread". It can be bought at any supermarket. What he really is? Small sweet pseudo-gingerbread in the form of letters (get ready!) of the Latin alphabet. Does anyone think of what it would be 
could symbolize (from Russian recipes)? Particularly touching is such a finishing touch as coconut glaze. Ruse is simply impossible to imagine.
True Aryans seem to be generally partial to our pastries. In the vastness of the German Internet, you will be offered a lot of options. "Russian pies", which have Russian ... except perhaps the name. The main thing is that it is absolutely incomprehensible neither from the first nor from the second glance: well, what exactly served as a prototype? Burnt cheesecake?
Russian tea of non-Russian bottling
About tea separate conversation. Yes, we Russians are known to be avid tea drinkers. Of course, foreigners think that we drink more vodka. But in many foreign restaurants and on culinary sites, such a drink appears as "Russian tea".
So, how did our gull transform abroad:
1) Americans make it... not only with black tea leaves, but also with a bag of instant orange juice.
2) The Japanese will bring you Russian tea in a tall champagne glass, accompanied by a jar of jam. No, you don't have to spread the jam. It needs to be aristocratically blabbed. In the same glass.
3) In a Berlin tea restaurant, this name is black tea with sugar. It is served in a railway glass with a glass holder. At first glance, everything seems to be fine, but ... do not try to take out the spoon! The waiter will come running, put it back and explain what about her ... THE NOSE IS SUPPOSED TO HEAT.
Yes, there are many misconceptions about Russian cuisine. Although we ourselves, too, in all honesty, are not without sin. Are we not sure that the British, as soon as they wake up, fill their stomachs with liquid oatmeal, and the Germans do nothing but eat bavarian sausages washing them down with liters of beer? What do poor dogs eat in Korea for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and in Paris they cook exactly the way we are used to?
Myths and stereotypes are an integral part of our life. Any national cuisine cannot be learned from books or hearsay, cannot be copied or reproduced. You can taste it only where it was born, where its roots are. And those foreigners who were lucky enough to taste Russian hospitality will not forget our bread and salt.
What to expect from people who come to the country for the first time? For them, all this is a culture shock, they seem to be thrown into the sea, but they don’t know how to swim! Also, the Americans must have arrived in some prostration when visiting Russia. What do they think Americans about Russian food?..
I must say right away that I will talk about the food that Russians eat, and not about original Russian food, so that there are no misunderstandings. 🙂
What do Americans think of Russian food?
Pickles-jam
This is what they love. My husband enjoys eating pickles, they are much tastier than their American pickles (as pickles are called). I've tried it myself, I can confirm. Only Hungarian cucumbers are tastier than ours. 🙂
They wrap jam just as well, especially with pancakes.
Salads
I don't think Americans understand Russian salads with lots of ingredients and lots of mayonnaise.
"Herring under a Fur Coat? So these ingredients don’t really fit together!” the Americans say. We usually buy Russian salad (Olivier) in Houston's international store, this is the salad he likes.
Vegetable stews and other vegetable dishes
Americans hate vegetables in their blood! At least that's how it seemed to me. For example, cabbage in their supermarkets is sold only for foreigners. Well, in vain!
Offal, liver, heart, brains
Oh, it’s really bad for me ... Not every Russian will eat it, let alone conservative Americans. They accept only MEAT, and three types: pork, beef and chicken.
Buckwheat
Well, is it worth saying that buckwheat is not sold in the USA? As I said in the article, buckwheat can only be bought in international stores, we have one in Houston, the Armenians keep it. 🙂 When I bought kosher buckwheat there and cooked it, my American ate with pleasure and said “not bad”! Before that, of course, he had never tried this cereal. Now he constantly asks me to cook buckwheat.
Borsch
I can safely say that many Americans love borscht. I do not know why. Mine would sometimes go to a Russian shop specifically to buy Russian borscht (40 minutes by car from our house). Well, that was before me. Although in general Americans usually eat cream soups (I personally don’t understand their taste) and chicken soups with noodles.
Dumplings
Recently, the American ambassador admitted that he loves Russian dumplings with sour cream! That's where he got caught.
pies
I made pies with unusual stuffing- with cheese and minced chicken, the husband appreciated immediately and then begged for a long time to do the same. He also treated his friend from work, who at first looked at the pie very suspiciously, and then tried it and he also liked it. Another time I made potato pies and ground beef, from these already there was no such blind delight. I ate a couple and that's about it.
Salted herring and caviar
Husband salted herring from cafe Mumu came to taste very much. When he was in Moscow, he ordered it every day. And he only squinted at the red caviar, and when he decided to try it, he spat for a long time.
Mushrooms
Americans eat nothing but mushrooms. However, for them there is no such food as roast potatoes with mushrooms (I love it, but my husband found it very boring). Mushrooms a full meal do not count, well, you can add them a little for taste to chicken gravy, and that's it.
Milk products
Our dairy products are very diverse and, of course, Americans would like it if they wanted to radically change their lifestyle. But for now, they're more attracted to the juicy burger. 🙂
In the USA in general fermented milk products there is nothing but yogurt, some strange cottage cheese and cheese. No yogurt and ryazhenka for you. I advise you to read the article (with photo), if you are interested in what we generally sell.
Aspic
No, well, Americans do not respond with great enthusiasm about Russian food, of course, but JELLY FROM MEAT ?! Are you serious?? However, if they give it a try (try), then everything can change and jelly can become one of their favorite dishes. 🙂
Salo
Yes, this is a Ukrainian "treat", but the Americans don't care! =) They don't understand how fat can be eaten at all. Although they themselves are not averse to eating a couple of pieces of fried bacon for breakfast. Such a light and healthy breakfast... 🙂
Kissel
In addition to the Finns, no one understands the love for jelly, probably. Including the Americans. They won't stop asking if it's a drink or a dessert? And then the drink should be liquid, but THIS is some kind of thick ...
Tea
Our love of tea would be supported by the British, but not by the Americans. Last but not least, coffee. But in general, mine only drinks cold cappuccino and, of course, soda.
Gingerbread
Since gingerbread is sold in international stores in the United States, then someone needs it, right? 🙂 I have noticed more than once that Americans buy them.
Okroshka
What-what is this? Salad with kvass No, these Russians are still crazy...
So the fairy tale (or rather the article) is over, and whoever listened (or rather read) - well done! 🙂 So we found out that in general, Americans do not respond very well to Russian food. Well, in vain! Our food will still be healthier. In fact, I sincerely wonder how in a country with such ugly food preferences, life expectancy is almost 10 years longer than in Russia? And what do you think?
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Perhaps more than the mysterious Russian soul, foreigners visiting Mother Russia are surprised only by our cuisine. Americans turned out to be one of the most squeamish about food-a-la-rus, which is only worth their tasting of fat. But the Germans show amazing loyalty to our cuisine. Which domestic dishes plunge foreigners into shock, and which ones make them touched with delight, the editors of the Otdykh project will tell in their own rating of the most discussed dishes of Russian cuisine among foreigners.
Salo
Of course, many may argue about whether lard is our original product. However, most foreigners do not distinguish between Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian food. So it is Russian fat that is hotly discussed on the Internet. As it turned out, fat causes a storm of emotions among foreigners (the countries of the former CIS do not count). Americans, Chinese, French, Italians and even seemingly omnivorous Germans call bacon nothing more than "raw salted fat", which they usually throw in the trash. Even bacon, in principle, is the same fat, only with layers of meat, they are ready to eat only cooked (fried, baked or stewed). I wonder if they know that many of our compatriots use it with sweet tea?
Aspic
Jelly is no less bewildering for the Western brother. Before they force Russian jelly to taste, foreigners will have to explain for a long time why meat is added to jelly, and even generously flavored with horseradish. Americans consider this idea simply disgusting, because their jelly is a priori sweet. You can finally finish off foreigners with a description of the technology for preparing this elastic dish - you need to boil pork hooves. It would never occur to anyone to eat offal. The least snobs in this matter were the Germans. The descendants of the Aryans in their homeland eat brawn - an analogue of jelly, only it is prepared from the head of a pig. To keep the dish longer, the Germans add vinegar to it.
Borscht and okroshka
In general, our use of a large amount of soups delights many foreigners. Despite the fact that our first courses are not to everyone's taste, Europeans still recognize that this is a healthier food than their usual dry food. Shchi, hodgepodge, and especially borscht and okroshka, which are more famous abroad, evoke polar reviews: either sharp rejection or strong support. True, there are also funny cases: for example, for some Latin Americans, our borscht resembles hot gazpacho, although they do not taste the same at all. That is why they eat it. This soup is also recognized by the Chinese living in the northern provinces, those closer to Russia. Beetroot is an unusual product for representatives of the Celestial Empire and it is surprising that it is she who paints the soup so richly. Most Europeans are wary of borscht: it confuses boiled cabbage and beets. Although the curious French and Italians are ready to experiment. Beets are nonsense to most Americans because they consider this ingredient to be livestock feed.
But okroshka makes everyone smile, because, as foreign nationals are sure, you can mix sausage, cucumbers, eggs with kefir or mineral water, and then eat all this only as a joke. From their point of view, this is tantamount to filling the salad with Coca-Cola and gobbling up this dish. What to say about okroshka on kvass.
"Herring under a fur coat" and "Olivier"
If many Europeans and Asians are still ready to put up with beets in borscht and vinaigrette, then not everyone can cope with the “rotten fish” in the salad “Herring under a fur coat”. The fact is that "rotten" Americans call any pickled, but not past heat treatment fish. And again, lovers of this dish can be found among part of the Chinese and Germans. True, the latter use this salad in a slightly different form: they twist fish and beets, and then mix them with mayonnaise.
It would seem that okroshka is a liquid Olivier salad. But if not everyone agrees to try the soup, then the Russian Salad, which is what they called Olivier abroad, evokes mostly positive reviews. Americans compare it to theirs potato salad(although only potatoes are common ingredients), diluted with sausage, egg and vegetables. If these culinary zealots liked this dish, what can we say about the rest. Russian salad is respected by the Chinese, French, Italians, British, Germans and even Chileans. Slightly less popular is the salad of crab sticks.
Shashlik and dumplings
Surely, many readers have already been puzzled: is it possible that all our dishes are not to the liking of foreigners. We can assure you that it is not. It's just these culinary delights they were the most impressed. Positive emotions are evoked by our main meat dishes. In general, Europeans consider meat one of the key components of the Russian meal. Although shish kebab is not our original dish, nevertheless it is associated with Russia, and our “barbecue” is very sympathetic. Turns out it's all about the marinade. From others meat dishes the Chinese distinguish cutlets, servelat, meat in French. Italians, Australians and French are not against dumplings.
Russian cuisine is difficult to describe in one word, it is too capacious and broad concept: it includes traditional food Russian peasants, exquisite French dishes, which have long taken root in our country, dishes of the twentieth century, invented in Soviet time in cramped Khrushchev kitchens. In short, Russian cuisine consists mainly of quite varied, but fatty, nutritious and even heavy dishes. And if the Chinese love everything spicy, the Japanese - insipid, the Americans - sweet, then Russians, according to foreigners, eat sour and salty most of all.
Most foreigners know little about Russian cuisine: in best case they will remember the famous pancakes with caviar. But those who were lucky enough to visit our country talk about some Russian dishes with pleasure, and with disgust about others. Someone is delighted after trying the famous borscht and Olivier salad, someone finds our food too high-calorie and even unpleasant. There are even some dishes that almost all foreigners call disgusting - and first of all, Americans speak so negatively about them.
Firstly, this is fat - perhaps not a native Russian product, but very popular in our country. Americans are generally horrified that Russians eat lumps of fat that foreigners simply throw away. Yes, and aspic seems incredibly nasty to them - how can you eat frozen cold meat jelly covered with a crust of fat? Though fruit jelly they don't get that disgusted...
Second, many foreigners are suspicious of all meats other than beef, pork, and chicken. Americans don't eat lamb, rabbit meat, let alone such exotic meats as horse meat. And they don’t understand that offal can also be edible - after all, before in the United States, offal was given only to slaves. Therefore, they are very surprised that we are happy to eat the liver, hearts, lungs and tongue.
Like others northern peoples, Russians like salty or dried fish. But the Americans call such fish raw, since it has not been subjected to heat treatment. A raw fish no American would even try. For the same reason, Japanese sushi and rolls are nowhere near as popular in the US as they are in Russia. And Russian herring evokes in them about the same feelings as fresh raw fish.
Another feature of Russian cuisine that often surprises foreigners is a large number of soups. According to American Tim Kerby, who has been living in Russia for several years, soup is a completely normal dish for a foreigner, but it is eaten much less often in other countries. Foreigners are especially ambiguous about borscht - someone calls it disgusting hot and liquid beetroot salad, while someone really likes it.
Pancakes as one of the national Russian dishes are not surprising to foreigners - they are eaten by both Americans and Europeans, similar cakes can be found in Asian countries. But if in America pancakes and fritters are only dessert dishes, which are served with jam, sugar, marmalade, then in Russia they prepare the so-called hearty pancakes with meat, fish, caviar, which seem strange to visitors from other countries.
Many Europeans are surprised that Russians eat little greens - and only parsley and dill. Cilantro, basil, savory are far from being so popular in Russia. And if parsley is loved and eaten in Europe, then they treat dill with prejudice and do not understand Russian love for this too odorous and peculiar grass.
The most popular drink in Russia is tea, which also often surprises foreigners who drink it occasionally and prefer coffee. And, of course, everyone thinks that the most favorite Russian drink is vodka, and they are surprised when they find out that beer is very popular in Russia.
Among the most delicious Russian dishes, foreigners call milk, kefir, fermented baked milk, cottage cheese, fish and bread. Many say that Russian sliced loaf is tastier than the best french bread. And because of the shape, Russian bread is called "brick".
Every cuisine in the world has its own peculiarities, amazing, strange and unusual dishes. All these statements about Russian cuisine indicate that it is original, interesting and not spoiled by mass love for fast food, flavor enhancers and preservatives. We can be proud of our national cuisine and culinary habits.
