Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
everyday diets.
Nationaldishes
worth tasting include
borshch
(beetroot soup),
shchi
(cab-
bage soup) and
pirogi
(small pies stuffed with potato, cabbage or a kind of cottage cheese
known as
tvorog
). Try these at one of the
stolovaya
(canteen-style) restaurants, such as
Dachniki
in St Petersburg. Cheap
blini
, available from the ubiquitous and much-loved
Teremok
fast-food chain, subdivide into
blinchiki
, pancake wraps stuffed with meat or
berries, and flat pancakes, served with honey, condensed milk,
smetana
(sour cream) or
krasnaya ikra
(red caviar). In summer, Russians go mad for
morozhenoe
(ice cream), sold
at a fraction of the Western price.
Drink
Vodka
(
vódka
) is, of course, the national drink, knocked back in one gulp and chased with
a bite on black bread or salted cucumber.
Beer
(
pivo
) is essential in summer; try Baltika
(rated in strength from 3 to 9), Stariy Melnik or Nevskoe. Be sure to sample the excellent
semi-sweetGeorgian
wines
too(KhvanchkarawasStalin'sfavourite).Forcheapeatingand
drinking,stockupata
produkti
(smallgroceryshop),orat
rynki
(markets),scatteredacross
both cities, though concentrated in the suburbs. These sell the full range of Russian dairy
delights such as
kefir
(sour milk), plus salami, sausages and cheap fresh fruit and veget-
ables. Traditionally, breakfast is eaten between 7am and 9am and lunch between 1pm and
2pm; evening meals tend to be taken around 8pm.
CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
Although the Western practice of eating out is now widespread, Russians love to entertain
at home; if you're invited over, always bring a small present: men traditionally offer
flowers while women bring chocolates.
Tipping
is the norm only at high-end eating and
drinking establishments, with five to ten percent given as standard. In
churches
, women
should cover their head and shoulders, and men in shorts may be refused entry; you'll also
notice that locals avoid turning their back to the iconostasis that screens the altar. Russians
are rather superstitious: you'll see people rubbing the noses of the dog statues at the Metro
Ploshchad Revolyutsii in Moscow for good luck. Old-fashioned chivalry is alive and well,
with men opening doors for women and offering to help with heavy lifting. You'll notice,
too, that young people give up their seats to the elderly on public transport: follow their
example before being told to.
Russia has a negative attitude towards homosexuality and, in 2013, passed a law banning
any so-called “propaganda” supportive of “non-traditional” sexual orientations.
