Why go
A menu or holiday name becomes more useful when you recognise the tradition behind it. Shchi, ukha and okroshka describe different soups; Maslenitsa and Orthodox Christmas belong to a seasonal calendar that does not simply follow Western Christmas and New Year customs.
The full story
Rye, wheat, barley and millet underpin breads, pancakes and cereals in Russian cooking. Fish, mushrooms, berries and honey recur alongside poultry and meat. Shchi is a cabbage soup, ukha a fish soup, and okroshka a cold soup; smetana, or sour cream, accompanies soups and salads. Pelmeni are dumplings, while blini are pancakes. These distinctions make a menu easier to read than a single idea of “Russian food”. The banya is a hot steam bath and an enduring social tradition. The festive calendar has its own points of emphasis. New Year brings decorated trees, gifts and Ded Moroz, or Father Frost. Russian Orthodox Christmas falls on 7 January, reflecting the church’s use of the Julian calendar. Maslenitsa precedes Great Lent, while Cosmonautics Day on 12 April commemorates Yury Gagarin’s first human spaceflight.