The Russian Table

Breakfast - Zavtrak

8am - 1pm
Traditionally 'zavtrak' was a late meal (unless rising early for farm work), and could be any time from 8am to 1pm. It generally consists of a range of protein based foods (cold meats, cheese and eggs) followed by bread accompanied with butter and tvorog (a dry cottage cheese). For the children, a buckwheat porridge with buttermilk is usually served. In some independent states, soup is also a breakfast meal.

Main Meal of the Day - Obyed

1pm - 5pm
The most important meal of the day is 'obyed', which occurs any time from 1pm to 5pm, and depending on the occasion, can take several hours. A traditional main meal of the day can consist of many courses:

Zakuski - Appetisers
Russians begin their main meals with Zakuski or appetisers. This can be just about anything, including cheese, cold cuts, cooked vegetable salads, marinated, salted or smoked fish, caviar - for which Russia is famous, and pastries.

With zakuski comes the drinking of Russia's most famous beverage - vodka, which is drunk chilled, in small shot glasses and downed in one gulp.

Zakuski first became popular amongst the gentry in the 19th Century. Food was laid out in smorgasbord fashion for arriving guests to enjoy before they all sat down to the main dinner. It then filtered down the social scale to become a fixture on all tables throughout the Russian sphere of influence.

Peervie Bluda/First Course - Soup
Many Russian soups are a complete meal in themselves, packed full of all kinds of vegetables and meat. They are often made in large quantities because, like many Russian vegetable soups, they can be kept for many days in the fridge (or frozen) as they improve on the second or third day of serving.

One of the most well known Russian soups is the richly coloured, semi sweet 'Borsch' made with beetroot. Other favourites include 'Shchi' made from sauerkraut, and the fish soup 'ukha'.

Vtoreyeh Bluda - Second Course
Meat and fish dishes, accompanied with potatoes, noodles or rice, and vegetables. For Kiwis this would be the main course.

Sladkoe - Dessert
Russian dessert favourites include pancakes, pikelets or oladi, sweet cheese patties, pastries know as pirozhky, as well an fruit compote.

Napitki - Drinks
Tea is taken at the conclusion of the meal or instead of dessert. Russian tea is served differently from how we take our tea here. A strong brew of Indian or Chinese black tea is made and kept hot on top of a large hot water urn or samovar. This concoction is known as 'zavarka'. To make a cup of tea, a small amount is added to the cup and topped up with hot water from the samovar. It is generally consumed without the addition of milk, but slices of lemon can be added.

Supper - Uzhin

7pm - 10.00pm
A meal that changes depending on nature of the food consumed throughout the day. If the main meal of the day has been late, then uzhin might not happen, or may be very light. It is generally a smaller version of the main meal, with less courses - or may just be a succession of zakuski (accompanied with vodka).