10 foods that Russians can't stop eating (PHOTOS)
Always having bread with lunch, cracking sunflower seeds, cooking dozens of dishes from cottage cheese or potatoes… There are some culinary things that Russians never get bored of.
1. Sunflower seeds
Once you start, you won’t be able to stop! Russians love roasted sunflower seeds and always in the shell. After all, “cracking” and de-shelling the seeds is a kind of meditation. By the way, Russia is one of the world leaders in sunflower production.
2. Buckwheat
This can truly be considered a Russian superfood! This pseudocereal is rich in protein and, at the same time, is a slow carbohydrate. It can be consumed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It never gets boring and goes well with any other food, both sweet and savoury. By the way, buckwheat tea and buckwheat chocolate are on the list of the latest trends!
3. Bread
The Russian language includes lots of proverbs related to bread. “Bread is the head of everything” is one of them. In Old Rus’, bread was always the main product and wheat was the most popular crop. However, housewives knew how to bake bread from anything. And this often saved them from starvation. The older generation still has a habit of eating absolutely everything with bread. It's just more satisfying this way!
4. Oatmeal
Russians have been eating oatmeal since childhood and it is also on the breakfast menu of any cafe or restaurant in Russia. People also believe that nothing can help better with stomach problems than oatmeal boiled in water. By the way, there has recently been an increasing trend for a rather unusual savoury oatmeal dish: with tomatoes, parmesan cheese or even tuna!
5. Potatoes
Sometime in the late 17th century, Peter the Great brought potatoes from Europe, but the people did not accept the exotic vegetable into their daily diets for a long time. Now, it's hard to believe that was ever the case, because Russians are literally obsessed with potatoes and the country has become one of the world leaders in potato production.
6. Sugar
Every Russian has a memory of how, in childhood, they or their grandmother used to drink tea cracking a lump of sugar at the same time. Many people have a habit of drinking tea and coffee with sugar, drinking several cups a day. Pastries, candies and grandma's jam… This is the holy sacred thing! And, so far, most Russians cannot give up on sugar, despite all the advice of doctors and nutritionists.
7. Salt
“Salt and sugar are the white death!" This is what Russians used to say and, yet, salt is always on the table in cafes and at home. Russians like to salt and top up their food and, sometimes, they do it right away, without even tasting beforehand. In addition, Russians eat a lot of salty and pickled foods, as the season for fresh vegetables is very short.
8. Sour cream
From the old days, Russians have always liked fermented dairy products. After all, there were always a lot of cows and milk and, in order to preserve it, it was necessary to cook something with it. Sour cream has since become one of the favorite foods nationwide. That’s because It can basically be added to any dish! For example, borsch soup is unthinkable without it!
9. Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese and sour cream are a popular breakfast duet. Cottage cheese is usually quite fatty and it can almost be hard in texture. Sour cream, on the other hand, is poured plentifully on top, with a dollop of jam or condensed milk (‘sgushenka’). Russians also love making all kinds of pastries with cottage cheese, from casseroles (‘zapekanka’) and quark pancakes (‘syrniki’) to cottage cheese pies.
10. Honey
Honey is considered so healthy that, when Russians get sick, they can easily eat a whole jar. Mountain, floral, forest – there are a lot of types of honey and each Russian has their own favorite. Hence, there are a lot of apiaries in Russia!
