Travelers go to Toscana for aromatic cheeses, to Thailand - for spicy treats and exotic fruits. Rare tourists make such tasty trips across the expanses of Russia! However, every region of Russia boasts its unique cuisine and will gift unforgettable palatable experiences.

Here in Russia, we are fond of borscht and okroshka, buckwheat porridge and aspic. But when you come to Russia from abroad, you might wonder, how they can possibly eat these things! How, for god’s sake?

Fish and seafood make the basis of Kamchatka cuisine. It has absorbed the traditions of indigenous nomadic peoples and their ability to quickly and deliciously cook.

Altai is worthwhile visiting, even if it is only for the sake of tasting the traditional local dishes that can be found nowhere else in the world.

If you have long wanted to visit exotic Bashkortostan and its capital city, Ufa, and you wonder what you are going to eat there, then this article is meant specially for you.

Kazan is not only the cultural centre of the Tatars and the host city of the World Aquatics Championship 2015. Kazan is the cradle of Tatar cuisine, which is a must-try when visiting this city.

Do you want to feel the real taste of Russia? Then keep reading to learn about the staples of Russian cuisine and find their recipes here.

The tendency of going back to the roots and reviving traditional local recipes is very natural and healthy. Besides, it might help foreign tourists better feel the taste of Russia and broaden the associative field far beyond Russian caviar and pancakes, nested dolls and vodka.

Besides traditional New Year Russian salad, Maslenitsa pancakes and Easter cake, barbecues (shashliks) on Labour Day and all other warm sunny days is considered one of the main holiday dishes of the year in Russia.

Leo Tolstoy, the well-known Russian writer and thinker, argued: “While our bodies remain graves of murdered animals, how can we foster hopes for creation of ideal life conditions on the Earth?”

Since the Pancake Week (or Maslenitsa), the famous Russian holiday, is approaching, we decided to get you acquainted with interesting recipes of Russian pancakes – a traditional food we eat during these days.

Whence is the tradition to meet the new year at a festive table? What dishes did great-grandmothers and grandmothers of modern Russians cook for this holiday? In the very beginning, in the epoch of Peter the Great who decreed to celebrate the New Year on the night of December 31st to January 1st, the main thing on this holiday was not the table, but dancing. For dinner, supper and breakfast our ancestors had... only dances and drinks to satisfy thirst.

Traditional Russian kvass is one of the best refreshing and most natural soft drinks. The very word “kvass” is undoubtedly of Russian origin and means “sour drink”, or “fermented drink”. Though it is pungent rather than sour. Kvass based on bread fermentation has been a traditional drink for many centuries for Russians.

The strange hard-to-translate name kozuli or kozyuli stands for fancy pastry figurines of nanny-goats, deer or other animals with a symbolical meaning. The word kozulya (sg.; kozuli – pl.) is derived from the Russian koza meaning “she-goat”. She-goat was a symbol of prosperity in the house, and making of kozuli symbolized family’s well-being.

Bread is not only the basis of Russian table, but also a symbol of people’s wellbeing. This is why there are a number of customs related to bread. From times immemorial the Slavs believed that people who shared bread became friends forever.

Sbiten was especially popular in winter time or in dank and cold weather and was very helpful against catching a cold or some other infirmity. It was also well-known for curing melancholy. Hot tropical spices and hot sweetness of sbiten inspire vivacity and festive joy.

On the night of the 6th to 7th January the Orthodox Church celebrates the holy Christmas. For over a month prior to the holiday believers observe the Advent, i.e. Christmas fast.

Russian Karavai – the traditional round bread loaf - has come down to us from ancient pagan times. Karavai was a must at the Russian wedding feast, with numerous ritual rules observed during its preparation.

Botvinya goes well in summer heat; it tastes lighter than okroshka and has a better refreshing effect.Okroshka and Botvinya are cold soups based on kvass; both are part of traditional Russian cuisine.

Borsch is probably the most widespread dish in Slavic cuisines. This type of vegetable soup got its name after the old Slavic name of beetroot – “byrsch” – the vegetable compulsory for this dish.