Pozharsky cutlet, favorite dish of Alexander Pushkin

The Pozharsky family owned a popular tavern in the town of Torzhok, Tver Region, where a number of celebrities are known to have stayed over the years – including Alexander Pushkin. 

Their famous cutlets were so well known that they even appeared on the tsar's menu. 

Actually, they are cutlets made from minced chicken meat, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried, so that they are crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. 

There is a legend that, one day, sitting in the tavern, Pushkin saw a sign on a door across the street that read: "Eugene Onegin – master of baked and tailored goods” and he decided to name the main character in his novel in verse after the proprietor.

And, in 1826, Pushkin recommended the cutlets to his friend Sobolevsky: "Dine in the Pozharsky Inn in Torzhok with fried cutlets and then leave feeling glad and easy."

By the way, Torzhok restaurants still serve the famous cutlets, as well as many diners and canteens across Russia.