What are the most common and traditional Russian foods?

Russia offers a wide variety of flavors and traditional foods. Most of these foods depend on the climate and environment. The Russian diet mostly consists of various ingredients including storable produce like beets, potatoes, cabbage and carrots, milled grains, poultry, fish, pork, beef and game. Some of the most popular traditional foods you may find are as follows;

· Borshch is a beet soup that has various other vegetables and meat. This is one of Russia’s most popular soups.

· Pirozhki is a kind of pastry that is packed with potatoes, cabbage, cheese and meat.

· Caviar or ikra is sharp and briny. It is usually served with blini, a crusty bread that looks like crepes or pancakes. Caviar along with buttered bread is also very popular.

· Blini is served with a number of fillings like cheese, jam, chocolate and onions. If you go to a restaurant and are not sure about what to eat, choose blini to be on the safer side.

· Shashlyk is the Russian version of kebabs made of vegetables and meat.

· Pelmeni is a pastry with meatballs filled inside. It can be eaten alone or with topped cream or butter. It can even be used in soups.

· Smetana is a sour cream that accompanies any traditional Russian food. It can be eaten with crepes, added to soups and in desserts.

· Morozhenoe is the famous Russian ice cream that comes with various kinds of toppings.

· Popular Russian drinks include the Russian vodka, mineral water, tea, soda and beer.