There are so many interesting things to discover when it comes to the Russian culture, and our eating habits sure has to be one of them. The food Russians consume most of the time does not seem as appetizing to others and it tends to weird "non-Russians" out big time. To provide a more thorough description of the innovative and traditional cuisine, as well as to remind Russians that we proudly eat it, here's a list of 13 weird foods every Russian has eaten or drank at least once whether it's made at home on a regular basis or served on novy god: 1. Selyodka Pod Shuboy // Layered Herring Salad. Translated "herring under a fur coat", this salad is a popular choice during holidays for many families. It is very fishy and is layered in the following order: Ingredients: herring fish, mayo,onions,mayo, boiled potatoes, mayo, boiled carrots, mayo, boiled beets, mayo. 2. Seledka s lukom // Herring and onions. What can I say, Russians love herring. I'm personally not fond of this dish because all it has is pickled herring, olive oil and chopped onions. Many people will make this snack into a sandwich with rye bread! 3. Holodets // Meat jelly Yup, that's right. Instead of jello shots, Russians have their meat jelly. The meat aspic is made up of boiled bones, stock, cartilage and is refrigerated overnight - hence the name "holodets" which translates to "cold" from Russian. Ingredients: pork legs, chicken drumsticks, onions, carrots, bay leaves and salt. 4. Salo Raw pig fat. Enough said. And no, it's nothing close to bacon. Photo cred - youtube 5. Kvas When coca cola wasn't allowed in the house hold as a child, your parents would let you drink Kvas. It's a fermented beverage made from rye bread and not considered as an alcoholic beverage ( even though it does contain 0.5–1.0%.) 6. Okroshka // Cold soup. It's actually really good, considering this soup is served cold. The name originates from the word "kroshit" which means to crumble, hence all the ingredients are diced up in the soup. There are a variety of versions to making this dish, but most people use kefir for the liquid base. Ingredients: chopped scallions, dill, radishes, cucumber, eggs, and potatoes. You can choose to add bologna for a a meaty option. 7. Kissel This fruity based drink isn't that weird and it's a popular desert beverage for Russians. The juice from berries (your choice) is mixed with sugar, corn or potato starch and can be served either hot or cold. 8. Kishka Ah huh! Russians sometimes will use a common ingredient as Canadians for this dish. No other than, gravy! Instead of having fries with gravy, this intestine stuffed dish is filled with your choice of meat ( of course cause meat comes with everything.) I guess it's not that bizarre because it's pretty much a serious meaty home made sausage. 9. Varenyky // Fruit dumplings. Cause if dumplings can be made up of meat, potatoes or vegetables, why not with fruit? 10. Everything is pickled. Tomatoes, mushrooms, cabbage, onions - not just pickles, but absolutely everything, even fruits! Russians love to soak vegetables in vinegar and salt. Other food that's really not that weird: 11. Caviar with crepes and sour cream - blinchiki s ikroi + smetana. 12. Olivier - pickles, boiled potatoes, green peas, onions, bologna, carrots and of course MAYO. 13. Vinaigrette beet salad - beets, potatoes, pickles, onions, and pickled cabbage.
