Russian Cuisine, 1912
The lavish natures of the Russians demand a groaning board, and the well-to-do will confess that they eat extravagantly and over-much. The soups are elaborate, the sauces rich in butter,…
From: Unknown To: 1910 C.E.
Location: Moscow, Russia
“Cuisine” from The Tourist’s Russia, by Ruth Kedzie Wood, 1912.
The lavish natures of the Russians demand a groaning board, and the well-to-do will confess that they eat extravagantly and over-much. The soups are elaborate, the sauces rich in butter, the pates savory, the meats choice and highly-seasoned, the desserts very sweet. The result is a cuisine which tempts the normal palate to indiscretion. The menus are so varied that any taste may be gratified, many European dishes being found upon them.
An afternoon at a Moscow home is remembered for its prodigal hospitality. At the tea hour we sat down at a table laden with fruits and berries from all Russia. There were three sorts of melon from Little Russia, a great bowl of pears, compotes of Crimean grapes, baskets of cherries, and mounds of raspberries and strawberries heaped on green leaves. A half-dozen varieties of wines from South Russian vineyards were offered with the fruit. As we sat over the rainbow table, a maid arranged the samovar, or tea machine, by the window. We regarded dubiously the preparations for further indulgence in good things, but, loath to offend, crossed to a second feast. Here, with the famed “yellow tea" were served dainty cakes and bonbons, with jams of pineapple, watermelon, blackberry and peach, and Russian liqueurs and cordials.
In vain we protested; our plates and tea glasses were filled repeatedly, and, in truth, each delicacy seemed more inviting than the last. So we nibbled and tasted and sipped, until good judgment took wings before the impelling hospitality of our hosts and the enticements of the spread. We were ingenuously asked if we cared for caviare, and unsuspectingly replied in the affirmative. Behind us, maids were moving in and out, and when we arose we understood their activity. The table we had devastated bloomed again. There were platters of smoked raw salmon and marinated herring, and a fish from the Volga which had been dried in the sun; and a portion of salted black caviare and another of the fresh grey roe set in a bowl of ice. The breast of a smoked goose dominated one end of the board, a brace of cold roast grouse, the other.
The servants in bright dresses, heavy neck beads and head gear resembling a starched coronet, appeared with dishes of ham prepared over the smoke of burning beech leaves, and a salad of the cherished cucumber. Strange cheeses made their appearance with game patés, and last, but not the least appetising, a culinary mystery consisting of minced meat, rice, and egg baked within a crusty loaf. Discretion fled; we partook recklessly as the delicious viands were presented at our elbow. The beverage which foamed in our glasses was rye kwass, made from fermented black bread; there was vodka Monopolncua, No. 1 for the men. Glace fruits, Russian cigarettes and black coffee terminated a banquet called by our friends afternoon tea.
The zakuska of the Russians is an elaborated hors d'oeuvre taken standing before luncheon or dinner. It consists of an array of fish, viands, salads, caviare, and mushrooms, pickled, raw or cooked. At a restaurant buffet, a whole sturgeon, and a suckling pig boiled in milk may be displayed. Old Roquefort, Swiss, Camembert and Chester cheese beaten to a cream with good port wine is another zakuska dainty, to be eaten with black bread and Finland butter. Liqueurs of bayberry and carraway are served, and, of course, the inevitable vodka, which should disappear with one fling of the wrist to be entirely comme il faut. The best Russian brandy is made of rye, and contains forty per cent, alcohol. It is a pure white beverage, innocently resembling water. Its production, good and bad, is controlled by the government.
A restaurant dinner, beginning with zakuska (26-60k. extra) proceeds with soup, which may be borsch made with meat and cabbage, or schi of boiled beet-root. There is also ukha, or fish-soup and others made of cucumber, and served with sour cream, which do not at first appeal to all palates. Whatever the potage, one may always expect the crisp pasties which accompany it.
The sterlet is the fish most prized in Russia. It is a refined species of sturgeon, a spotted fawn in colour, with a long sharp nose. It is often served with a red sauce. The dish of sterlet, sturgeon, salmon, sig, or sudak may be varied by a dumpling containing chopped fish and cabbage and accompanied by a fish bouillon. This last is peculiar to Moscow and is called rastigaL Roasts or cutlets are sometimes served with dwarf salted cucumbers which the Russians of all classes eat with almost every meal. Buckwheat dressing, fried in gravy, accompanies roast pork and mutton.
A Tatar dish called schachlik is composed of skewered bits of mutton and bacon roasted before a spit. It is not the custom to serve cooked vegetables with meats and game, but rather as a dish apart. The tree partridge, or rebchik, is so abundant in the Siberian forests that, though exceedingly good eating, they sell in the markets for thirty kopeks a pair. They are somewhat like grouse, though slightly bitter, and are very often found on the tables of restaurants and private homes. Salads and dressings are among the master-pieces of the Russian cook, but desserts are apt to be tasteless, in common with most Russian sweets. Ices and fruit jellies are usually found on the menu.
It is unwise to drink water in most Russian cities, Moscow being an exception. As substitutes, there are mineral waters; good and inexpensive wines made in the Caucasus, the Crimea, and Bessarabia; beer and kwass. The light beer, or peevo, of Riga is obtainable almost everywhere. On the Volga, the most renowned brew is Jhiguli beer, made in Samara, and sold at twenty to thirty kopeks a bottle. But the most refreshing Russian beverage is called kwass. Made from bread, it is dark brown, from apples, amber, and from small fruits or berries, red. It is fermented by yeast only, and is non-intoxicating. There is no more welcome sight on a warm day than a dewy crystal pitcher of frothy red kwass, served at cellar temperature.
To taste pirozhki at their best, one must go to Philipov's in St. Petersburg or Moscow. These bakery establishments are frequented for light luncheons. The pirozhki may be ordered for immediate consumption, or taken away, hot and odorous, in a pasteboard box. They cost about five kopeks each. The favourite dumplings are made with centres of meat, cabbage, rice, or jam. They are fried an appetising brown by being dropped in hot fat or oil.
The house of Eliseev, in both Petersburg and Moscow, rivals, if it does not excel, the great comestible shops of Europe and America. Berrin, Krafft, Conradi and Abrikossov are among the best confectioners in the capital. The latter has also a shop in Moscow, as has Einem. The celebrated dried fruits of Kiev are sold by Balabukha in both Petersburg and Kiev. All the larger cities have good patisserie shops where afternoon tea is served à la Russe.
Woods, Ruth Kedzie. The Tourist’s Russia. Dodd, Mead & Company, 1912.
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