One man`s opinion

Many, many years ago I ran across a quote by a 19^th century French food connoisseur: “There are only three great cuisines in the world: Chinese, French and Russian.” When with time I became intimately familiar with all three cuisines, I was surprised to discover that Frenchman knew what he was talking about.

Russian cooking is, indeed, quite different from the Chinese and the French. It does not require the laborious precision of the former, not the fiery speed of the latter. It’s rather a simple, leisurely, relaxed affair. I think somehow it reflects the fatalistic Russian mentality, a sort of come-what-may approach to life. Imagine for example, when cooking soup, you forgot to turn the heat off… Well, the soup will probably be richer. Or if you skipped an ingredient or two … No problem – just don’t forget to add them next time. Be careful with the salt though, for, as one Russian saying goes, undersalted food can be cured on the table, oversalted is hopeless – so flog the cook!” on the other hand, it is believed that when the food is oversalted - the cook is in love. So, take your pick! Salt used to be a rare commodity and so, when a Russian wants to emphasize that he knows someone very well and for a long time he might say: I ate pud (40 pounds) of salt with him. Russian do like to exaggerate, you know.

The special peculiarity of traditional Russian cuisine is mainly in the freshness of the ingredients, simplicity of coking methods, and restraint with spices. In fact, bay leaf and peppercorns are almost the only spices found in a typical Russian kitchen. In season, dill and garlic are also widely used. But basil or allspice are virtually unheard of. Cooks do not burden themselves with complicated sauces either. On the other hand, the most self-respecting cooks will not pass up an opportunity to show off their creation with pretty arrangements. The rules of this game are fairly simple: use a combination of contrasting colours , a sense of symmetry, and geometrical order. For instance, a bowl of potato salad will be nicely complement with black and green olives alternated along the rim of the bowl, and maybe a little “mushroom” made of a boiled egg, standing vertically in the middle of the salad with a “hat” made of a sliced tomato top, studded with mayonnaise drops. In aspic dishes, one will almost certainly find carrot diced cut in the form of a star. Examples can be endless. Just apply your imagination, a bit of patience, a dash of common sense, and you will be rewarded with hearty, robust and delicious dishes.

For a special occasion like a birthday, New Year’s Eve it is a multi-course feast. The number of zakuski increases to five or seven, including such delicacies as salted or pickled wild mushrooms, lovingly prepared according to a secret family recipe by the hosts themselves. Somehow caviar and sturgeon or beluga mysteriously find their way to the table. Good quality dry salami may also show up for the occasion. A fish in aspic may stand in splendour in the middle of the table. The hosts will not miss an opportunity to show off their skills in decorating an inevitable vinegret (beet salad) or studen (beef in aspic) a couple of types of nastoyka (bitter liqueur), or plain vodka (rarely chilled), or cognac, and maybe wine (usually port of dubious quality) with be ready for the impatient drinkers.

When the quests are almost full with zakuski, a soup is served. Sour cream, minced onion, and dill are passed along. With brief pauses for toasts, gourmandizing continues with the main course. It may consist of a single dish like stuffed goose or a leg of lamb. Garnishes usually extend far beyond boiled potatoes and sauerkraut, and may include vegetable ragout, braised cabbage, baked buckwheat, and different fresh salads in season. Then comes the traditional tea, maybe with a napoleon torte proudly presented by a grandmother who spend the previous night preparing it, or a wild-berry pie, or vatrushka (cottage cheese pie), accompanied by two or three types of homemade jams and preserves. To complete the feast, the host may offer his own nalivka (sweet liqueur).

So when in Russia, do as many Russians do.