Etiquette & Entertaining & RU cooking

[ForgeMaster]

Moderator's note: This is an exciting opportunity as we build this section together to enjoy sharing recipes and memories of favourites.  While the title says Russian and Ukrainian, please don't think it limited to only those Republics from the FSU.  There are also many Moldovan, Romanian, Uzbek and other dishes that can be shared!

Just for consistency, let's try to keep types of foods together....main dishes with main dishes, salads with salads, desserts with desserts, etc.  In that vein, I've merged Anastassia's excellent carrot salad (it's great!) with an earlier salad posting by Rasputin.

Hopefully this will be a fun part of the forum for each reader and poster!



Spices/Seasonings:
Forgemaster: My wife uses a lot of dill and some hot pepper things, but she comes up with some tastes I have never experienced.  What other spices are common in Russia?  Maybe I should ask for both the English and Cyrillic spellings.   

Much of the challenge in going to another place is finding what you used at home.  For example, my wife was told that mayonnaise was the American version of sour cream.  She was putting mayonnaise in everything for the first 4-5 months she was here until we were going to get some eggs and she asked what was in the cottage cheese-like containers.  It was like she fell in love with America again for the first time!! 

Anyway, what spices do Russians use?

P.S.  The taste of sour cream.........priceless!!! 

[Olga]

Khmeli Suneli is a traditional Georgian spicy herbs mixture  and very popular in Russia.

Among the herbs and spices used in khmeli suneli are: coriander, dill, basil, bay leaf, marjoram, fenugreek, parsley, saffron, black pepper, celery, thyme, hyssop, mint, and hot pepper.

[Olga]

I like dill. Especially I like to eat it fresh m-m-m



The herb dill (Anethum graveolens) has medicinal effects.

Origin, History, and Mythology: Dill originally came from Southeast Asia and India, although some herbalists assign its word origin to the Norse "dilla", meaning "to lull." According to Dioscurides, ancient Greeks used dill to flavor wine and in the preparation of the "anethinon myron" and the "anthinon wine". Ancient Greek and Roman soldiers used dill as a medicinal herb, by placing burned dill seeds on their wounds to promote healing. In Medieval Europe, dill could not be grown fast enough to satisfy consumer demand for its uses in love potions, for casting spells and for protection against witchcraft. Carrying a bag of dried dill over the heart was considered protection against hexes.

[ForgeMaster]

  I tried growing dill on the deck this summer.  I am bereft of my garden plot.  The resulting tall sprigs have been the cause of my ridicule all summer.  Your pot is much more dense.  I will try that next summer. 

thanks.

[Rasputin]

  I tried growing dill on the deck this summer.  I am bereft of my garden plot.  The resulting tall sprigs have been the cause of my ridicule all summer.  Your pot is much more dense.  I will try that next summer. 

thanks.

We tried growing dill, but with no success. However, I was told that there are two types of dill: one for canning and one for eating fresh.

[Olga]

Three month ago I bought some dill seeds for planting and planted it into very good and expensive dirt and... no success  I don't know why. In Russia dill grows everywhere especially where you don't want 

[andrewfi]

Hmmm...

Just shows to go you...

For Russians, salt and pepper are spices.

Dill is, last I looked, a herb.

[Olga]

Dill is, last I looked, a herb.

andrewfi,

Nobody argue about it 

The herb dill (Anethum graveolens) has medicinal effects.

[ForgeMaster]

Herb to me implies that it has medicinal effects, as Olga's definition stated that is one of the purposes of dill.

Spice is something that we add to food to change the taste of it. 

I honestly do not remember the last time I added dill to food for its medicinal properties, nor do I know what those properties are.  I do know that it changes the flavor of things like soup, potato salad, stuffed peppers, and pickles. 

Sometimes the worlds of medicine and spices overlap, but I did not intend for this to be the case here. 

This brings up another question I have as I visit other cultures:  Do Russians use spices/herbs for their medicinal properties?  I have visited India Indians where the lady of the house has a closet the size of a small room full of spice shlelves.  They can tell you exactly the effect that each of these bottles will have on food, taste and the person eating it.  Are there Russians who have remembered the herbology/spiceology of the past?
 
FM

[Olga]

  Do Russians use spices/herbs for their medicinal properties? 

Yes we do and we even use vegetables for medical treatment 

[ForgeMaster]

Maybe this is material for another section and if it is, I will split it off later. 

  What would be some examples of the medicinal use of vegetables, herbs and spices? 

[mendeleyev]

FM, I believe that vodka is a Russian herb too!  It is great medicine, too!   

Sorry, I couldn't resist. 

[ForgeMaster]

FM, I believe that vodka is a Russian herb too!  It is great medicine, too!   

Sorry, I couldn't resist. 

Oh yes, my dear friend, anyone and everyone in Rus knows that a little vodka with lemon is a sure cure for a sore throat!!  Either more lemon or more vodka will bring a swifter recovery.

FM

[mendeleyev]

Dining Etiquette:


When you are invited to a Russian's house:
Bring a gift to the family who invites you to their home for dinner. A bottle of wine, cake, box of candy or bouquet of flowers are traditional. A small gift for the child is always appropriate.
Remove your outdoor shoes. You will be given slippers to wear. It is impolite to walk in a Russian home only in socks or in bare feet.
Dress nicely in clothes you might wear to the office. Dressing well shows respect for your hosts.
Expect to be treated with honour and respect.
Offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served. You will be turned down out of politeness. Asking 'are you sure?' allows the hostess to accept your offer.
 

Table manners:
If from the USA, dont be shocked when seeing that the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.  This is European Continential style.  Unless you are at a very formal function, you may hold utensils like you do back home.
The oldest or most honoured guest is served first.
Do not begin eating until the host/hostess invites you to start.
Do not rest your elbows on the table, although your hands should be visible at all times.
You will often be urged to take second helpings.
It is polite to use bread to soak up gravy or sauce.
Men pour drinks for women seated next to them.
Leaving a small amount of food on your plate indicates that your hosts have provided ample hospitality.
It is improper to look into another's plate or saucer.
Remember to say "Thanks, everything was very tasty" to the one who made the dish upon leaving the table.  If a translator is present the phrase "very tasty" is probably better to use than "delicious."  Very tasty in Russian sounds something like "oh-chen koos-nah." 
Small food should not be cut.
Do not cross your legs with the ankle on the knee or put your feet on the furniture. It's impolite to show people the soles of your shoes.


Leaving the table:
Do not get up until you are invited to leave the table. At formal dinners, the guest of honour is the first to get up from the table.  If you are the guest of honour the hostess will suggest when to leave the table--in most cases it will be a couple of hours, or more, from the moment you sat down.  Tea and conversation is done at the table after the meal.


Toasts:
There will be toasts.  Your host/hostess will begin.  Avoid drinking vodka before a toast has been made. Keep your glass raised throughout the toast and then clink glasses with others before taking the shot of vodka. In Russia, vodka is served straight and taken as a shot.
It is impolite for you to fail to offer a toast honouring your host/hostess and thanking them for the gracious invitation into their home.
As the meal and the toasts continue, at some point offer a second toast of greetings from your family and friends in America/UK/Canada/etc  and good health from your family to the host/hostess and this Russian family.
DO take bites of food in between sipping vodka. To not do so is bad form.  And it will help absorb the alcohol.




Notes:
You'll be provided slippers but it's okay to take your own.  I carry mine often (size 11) in a cloth bag that also holds a camera, etc.  It's perfectly normal.

Re:  very tasty.  There is a small and rapid "va" sound at the start of koos-nah but it happens so quickly that unless you've practiced it you're better off just going with the 'oh-chen koos-nah' and it will be pleasantly understood (Эта очень вкусна).  To really please your hostess you can say "spa-cee-ba, Eh-ta oh-chen koos-nah" which means "thank you, it is very tasty."  To practice and then say this phrase in Russian is perhaps the highest compliment you can offer the hostess during the evening.

Re: gifts.  It's proper to bring a gift for your lady but it's very important to remember that her mother is the hostess (even if she doesn't live there or if your lady owns the apartment).  Its not just that your lady has an 'extended family,' this is an 'extended home.'  Do not forget a gift of flowers or some wine or chocolate for the hostess.

Re: flowers.  Yellow flowers, unless specifically requested by your lady, are not a good choice.  It could be misunderstood as a sign that you desire friendship instead of romance.  Yellow in a bouquet is okay as long as there are plenty of other colours present and the yellow is not the dominate colour.

[Manny]

If from the USA, dont be shocked when seeing that the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.  This is European Continential style.

Americans dont eat like this?  I had never noticed.

Most Russians I have encountered use a fork with the right hand only. Often in Russian restaurants I have had to ask for a knife.

[Olga_Mouse]

Most Russians I have encountered use a fork with the right hand only.

Often in Russian restaurants I have had to ask for a knife.

Fork in the right hand = home style.

Fork in the left hand, knife in the right hand = restaurant \ public place style.

[Olga_Mouse]

Do not cross your legs with the ankle on the knee or put your feet on the furniture.

... try not to spread your arms around the backs of your neighbours' chairs, and try to look a bit more accurate than an octopus resting on the hot beach.

Americans also tend to speak twice as loud as Russians (when sober) in any public place; it can be often found as particularly annoying. 

[mendeleyev]

and try to look a bit more accurate than an octopus resting on the hot beach.

Olga, good observation!    

Americans are not accustomed to sitting at a meal table for long stretches of time.  The custom of conversation and tea with desert is almost completely foreign to most Americans.  In an American home the end of the meal is a signal to "retire" to a room more comfortable.  Instead of using the comfortable room to continue conversation and sip on tea and desert, many Americans turn on a television and the remaining conversation is merely incidental rather than substantial.

Given the size and layout of most Russian apartments the table will be set up in the largest and most "comfortable" room so there is nowhere else to "retire."  However even if another room were available, Russian custom would generally dictate that the evening continue around the table.  Conversation and interaction amongst friends is far more important than a television programme to a Russian family.

For you about to be married guys, you should know that the American habit of leaving the table will be a big turn off to your new wife.  She will receive this as a sign of rudeness and non-caring.  It's something you will have to prepare her for when visiting your family and friends, and a good time to educate your family/friends about your wife's natural desire to remain at the table after a meal when entertaining in your home.  Give your wife this privilege--she will feel like a failure as a hostess if your family gets up after dinner and loses the evening in some TV sitcom.

Guys who will visit the FSU take note of what Olga is saying!  It seems like we tire quickly of sitting so long and the American begins (without realizing what is happening) to make his body more comfortable--which is not polite.  Russians find this behaviour odd because they are very comfortable with this table-meal-conversation-tea routine for hours and hours without end.

I can remember putting my arm on the back of other's chairs until being corrected several times about it.  It's a familiar custom in the USA for a man to put his arm around the back of the chair of his beloved's as a sign of affection/protection.  But unsettling for Russians who view it more as an American being dominate and overreaching his "territory."

[mendeleyev]

Where are the napkins?

Manny's comments about restaurant knives also triggered me to say something about napkins.  Americans can't get enough of them.  Whether the paper napkins at home or an eatery like McDonalds or cloth napkins at a more plush restaurant or home setting, we're lost without napkins at every meal.

Given the size of washers and the laundry process in a Russian home, cloth napkins aren't always very practical and in the past paper napkins were an expense many Russians couldn't afford.  That is changing and now you can find paper napkins in most supermarkets.  Even so you may find a paper napkin only for the evening meal which is generally served at a table set up in a larger living room/bedroom.  Breakfast and lunch at a small kitchen table may not have a napkin at your place.

Those familiar 'paper towels' so necessary to an American kitchen are an oddity in most Russian kitchens.  Cloth towels clean up most messes and are rinsed afterward and hung on a heat radiator to dry.

For traveling on trains or in smaller towns, a supply of pocket size kleenex packs can serve multiple purposes, including as a napkin, during each day of your trip.  While cheaper when purchased at home, you can find them readily available at Russian markets.

[mendeleyev]

Americans also tend to speak twice as loud as Russians (when sober) in any public place; it can be often found as particularly annoying.

This seems to be another cultural difference and at least a partial cause was that during the Soviet period Russians didn't want to be heard or noticed.  To go thru the day without causing yourself to "stand out" was a wise practice. 

Americans on the other hand are expressive (especially from the West coast) and also loud (East Coast) and perhaps this is a sign of our confidence and freedom to speak our minds without fear of reprisal.  Americans from the middle states tend to be more conservative and not as expressive or loud.

When traveling try to recall Olga's comments and remember to travel a bit "quieter."

[Markje]

When traveling try to recall Olga's comments and remember to travel a bit "quieter."

This is a very good idea, in Western Europe too. (At least in Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Austria).

Germans are also loud speakers, so I guess it does not matter much there.

[mendeleyev]

Here are a handful of good resources such as cookbooks, websites, etc:



- Russian Cooking (Foods of the World series)
by Helen and George Papashvily
This book not only has great recipes and tips, but outstanding photos too!








- The Art of Russian Cuisine
by Volokh, Anne; Manus, Mavis
A treasury of over 500 Russian dishes accompanied by a sampling of Russian social and literary history.







www.ruscuisine.com

http://www.dmoz.org/Home/Cooking/World_Cuisines/European/Russian/

http://www.cooking.ru/

Watch Olga Kay cook Russian dishes on YouTube:

See how to eat Russian Pelemi:

[Jared2151]

C'mon guys, everybody knows that the only way to grow herbs is with the Chia Pet thingymabob.   

[anjutka]

In my limited experience, they don't do spicy hot there.

have you  ever taste our mustard or  horseradish(not fresh one, but in jar))) ?

[mendeleyev]

припр’ава (-ы) seasoning; relish, condiment (can mean spices) сп’еции (-й) spice(s)



Horseradish white--hot



Horseradish with red beets--sweet



Mustard--warm to hot



Mustard--hot



Thanks to several members who contributed to the following list, especially 2Tall Bill.
Basil = базилик  = bazilik
Salt  = соль        = sol'
Pepper = перец  = perets
Parsley = петрушка = petrushka
Dill      =  укроп  = ukrop



припр’ава (-ы) seasoning; relish, condiment (also can mean spices)
сп’еции (-й) spice(s)
’острый  hot, spicy, strong, piquant
г’орький  bitter
сл’адкий  sweet
солёный  salty; salted; pickled

п’ерец (-рца)  pepper
black pepper черный перец   
соль (-и)  salt
garlic salt чесночная соль   
rock salt каменная соль   
table salt столовая соль   
salt shaker солонка
с’ахар (-а) sugar


nutmeg мускатный орех   
paprika паприка   
coriander кориандр   
ginger имбирь   
cumin тмин   
saffron шафран   
Cayenne pepper перец кайенский   
chilli чили   
cinnamon корица   
turmeric куркума
горч’ица (-ы)  mustard
’уксус (-а)  vinegar
чесн’ок (-’а)  garlic
parsley петрушка   
sage шалфей   
rosemary розмарин   
thyme тимьян, чабрец   
mint мята   
oregano майоран, душица   
basil базилик   
fennel фенхель   
dill укроп
pumpkin seed тыквенные семечки   
caraway seed тмин   
poppy seed маковое семя   
bird seed просо   
sesame seed кунжутные зерна   



вин’о (-’а) n. wine
м’асло (-а) butter; oil
oil растительное масло   
almond oil миндальное масло   
cod-liver oil печень трески   
castor oil касторовое масло   
olive oil оливковое масло   
oil of cloves гвоздичное масло   
corn oil кукурузное масло


Slavic cooking uses a lot of things to season food, such as fruits, honey and milk, that we don't use as much in the west.  Therefore for example, honey is a legitimate Russian "seasoning."  Apricot, orange, and cranberries for example can be found as a flavoring or additive to a host of foods.  Grapes are used in salads and grape leaves in cooking/wrapping.

In fact, all sorts of fruits like Blackberries go in everything from tea to cookies to pies to jams to oatmeal to barley.....and are there as a flavouring/seasoning.

ежев’ика (-и) blackberries
клубн’ика (-и) strawberries
мал’ина (-ы) raspberries
лим’он (-а)  lemon
абрик’ос (-а) apricot
апельс’ин (-а) orange
виногр’ад (-а) grapes
чер’ешня (-и)  cherry; cherries
чёрная смор’одина blackcurrants
’яблоко (-а)  apple
п’ерсик (-а) peach
помид’ор (-а) tomato
сл’ива (-ы)  plum
мёд (-а)  honey
молок’о (-’а) milk
ор’ех (-а) nut
гриб (-’а) mushroom