Russian Kitchen

Have you ever been curious about what traditional Russian cooking is like?  I have. I still am.

Recently, I found a fascinating website that answers many questions I've had about Russian cuisine, and provides information I never would have thought to look for.  It's called Russian Kitchen and it contains a wealth of short-well-written and informative English language articles about foods and regional cuisine specialties from all over Russia, with beautiful color photographs as illustrations.

Here's a sample of some of the more interesting articles I've found so far in browsing the site:

• Russia's eight strangest regional cuisines.  
• Regional dishes from Western Siberia and Eastern Siberia.
• Food and beverages from Karelia, Russia's "land of lakes". 
• Foods that you won't find outside of the regions of Russia in which they grow.
• How to eat caviar Soviet style. (Note:  the answer is more complex than "washed down with lots of vodka").
• The recipe for a now beloved dessert that arose from Soviet food shortages.
• Russia's obsession with tea and how Russians believe tea should be made. 

There's much more, and the site appears to be added to almost daily.  It's part of a complex of sites called "Russia Behind the Headlines" that is sponsored by a Russian newspaper called Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Whatever your feelings about Russia, its people, and its politics, Russian Kitchen is a lot of fun to browse.  I hope to try some of the more accessible recipes on the site.