Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
fiction delved into innermost existential depths, and Tchaikovsky's symphonies gave
voice to the terror and triumph of war with France. They are just a few of the legions
of cultural heroes who found success in their uniquely Russian ways of expression.
Russians take great pride in their cultural heritage, and in the Soviet era nearly
everyone, factory worker and collective farmer included, made regular visits to theater,
concert hall, or opera house. Russia's rigorous
ballet
traditions have relaxed little in
the past 200 years, and that commitment to physical perfection carries over into every
form of dance represented in today's Russia. For
classical music
fans, there's no bet-
ter way to pay tribute to the homeland of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky,
Scriabin, Shostakovich, and Rimsky-Korsakov than to hear their works played in a
Russian conservatory by their dedicated heirs.
CUISINE
Russia's culinary traditions run from the daylong, table-crushing feasts of the 19th-
century aristocracy to the cabbage soup and potatoes on which generations of ordi-
nary Russians were raised. Russian food is generally rich and well-salted.
Traditional dishes include the Siberian specialty
Pelmeni,
which are dumplings
filled with ground beef, pork, or lamb and spices and boiled in broth (a bit like over-
stuffed ravioli).
Varenniki
are a larger, flatter version of these dumplings, filled with
potatoes or berries.
Piroshki
are small baked pies filled with ground meat, cabbage, or
fruit, and are eaten with your hands;
pirogi
are large dessert pies. Buttery
bliny,
thin
crepelike pancakes, are spread with jam or savory fillings such as ham and cheese and
rolled up. Tiny round
olady
are the pancakes eaten with caviar. Russian soups include
the refreshing summer soup
zelyoniye shchi
or the winter stew
solyanka.
Your trip to Russia will invariably involve a taste of
vodka,
the national drink. Most
vodkas are distilled from wheat, rye, or barley malt or some combination of the three.
The Stolichnaya, Russky Standart, and Flagman brands are excellent choices. If you
want to appreciate a good vodka the way Russians do, you should drink it well chilled
and straight, preferably in 50-gram shots. Down it in one gulp, and always chase it
with something to eat. Russians prefer pickles, marinated herring, or a slice of lard.
Local beers are improving rapidly; Baltika and Nevskoye are cheap and tasty
choices. If you're feeling adventurous, try
kvas,
a thirst-quenching beverage made from
fermented bread. Russians' drink of choice, however, is
tea
(chai),
ideally served from
a samovar: a small pot of strong tea base
(zavarka)
sits brewing on top and is diluted
to taste with the hot water from the belly of the samovar
(kipitok).
LANGUAGE
The Cyrillic alphabet scares off most tourists from trying to pick up any Russian, and
that's a great shame. The 33-letter alphabet is not hard to learn, since many of the let-
ters are the same as in English. Knowing how to read those dizzying signs will make
your trip through Russia less mysterious and more comfortable.
Most Russians in hotels, restaurants, and shops will speak some English, especially
those of the younger generations. Any effort to speak Russian will be welcomed, and
in smaller establishments even a few words of Russian may get you out of a bind or
improve service. Below are some useful words and phrases.
