Sour Cream/Smetana: Russia’s national condiment

[Larry]

Orchid gave a recipe for French meat that calls for sour cream:

http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php?topic=20763.318 (reply #318)

I've loved sour cream since I was a small child.  I think lots of FSU recipes call for it. I use it in Beef Stroganoff.  On my first trip to FSU I was introduced to wonderful pelmeni served with sour cream.

Sour Cream – Russia’s national condiment

There is one ingredient that goes with practically everything in Russian cuisine. Fortunately it’s easy to make

Sour cream, or smetana in Russian, is one of the key ingredients in Russian cuisine. In Russia, practically everything is served with sour cream –  soups, pancakes, salads, bread, potatoes, vareniki (dumplings) and even desserts. It’s everywhere! But it isn’t only sour cream that gets our affection. Russians love most anything in the dairy family. Russian supermarkets have a huge selection of dairy products – and especially dairy drinks – that can’t be translated into English and that most non-Russians find pretty strange. However, these are the things that Russians can’t live without and always miss when traveling abroad for a long time.

Sour cream even has a place in Russian literature. Both Nikolai Gogol and Leo Tolstoy made sure to include sour cream on the table in their descriptions of feasts, and a character from a beloved children’s book famously said: “I love my grandmother… and sour cream!” It’s clear that Russians’ love for sour cream starts early. And I’m fairly sure that the country’s obsession with this fermented dairy product started early in its history, too.

Russia is a country that doesn’t have many sources of natural vitamins, so it was important to find a way to use every nutritious product available. Russians learned early on to preserve root vegetables by pickling and berries by turning them into jam. I imagine it didn’t take long for early Russians to discover ways of using fermented milk – if you make sour cream from it, you can also make cottage cheese from the same batch and also use the remaining liquid to use as an ingredient to make pancakes.

Sour cream is very easy to make, although it’s best to use unpasteurized milk or cream. Put four cups of full-fat milk or cream in a glass jar. Add a spoon of yogurt or some yogurt bacteria. Cover with a cheesecloth, and leave in a warm place overnight. The next morning, If you started with milk, you can skim the top layer off – and there’s your sour cream. If you were using cream, the whole quantity will have turned into sour cream. It will keep in the refrigerator for two or three days. Boil some potatoes, put sour cream, salt and some fresh herbs on top and Priyatnogo appetita!

http://rbth.com/arts/2014/10/09/sour_cream_russias_national_condiment_40487.html

Here is a photo of beautiful mushrooms in sour cream sauce from the excellent Natasha's Kitchen blog:



The recipe is here:

http://natashaskitchen.com/2013/01/26/mushrooms-in-a-sour-cream-sauce/

What do you think of sour cream?

If you are married, what does your family think about it?

[GuppyCaptain]

I'm not crazy about sour cream, but this is coming from a guy who absolutely hates mayo & ranch. A lot of Hungarian dishes have sour cream as well so inevitably I end up eating it.

[Orchid]

I'm not crazy about sour cream, but this is coming from a guy who absolutely hates mayo & ranch. A lot of Hungarian dishes have sour cream as well so inevitably I end up eating it.

I found a good substitute for mayo & ranch and sour cream. It is fat free plain Greek yogurt.
I add salt, papper, and dry herbs to this yogurt. Sometimes I add a little grape seed oil.
The main purpose is to reduce calories and have the same taste.
May be it will work for you, Mr. GuppyCaptain.

[Orchid]

/

[Orchid]

Great post, Larry.
May be one day I will meet Natasha. She lives not very far from me.
Her recipe of mushroom is toooooooo simple. Toooooooo much proteins.

I try to post pictures that I like, but it does not work.  So... I will try again.

[Orchid]

[Larry]

I'm not crazy about sour cream, but this is coming from a guy who absolutely hates mayo & ranch. A lot of Hungarian dishes have sour cream as well so inevitably I end up eating it.

I found a good substitute for mayo & ranch and sour cream. It is fat free plain Greek yogurt.
I add salt, papper, and dry herbs to this yogurt. Sometimes I add a little grape seed oil.
The main purpose is to reduce calories and have the same taste.
May be it will work for you, Mr. GuppyCaptain.

I love Greek yogurt. It is one of the four great flavor experiences that I've had in my life. For each of those four I remember exactly where I first experienced them. But I do prefer the full-fat version and try never to eat the zero fat version.

Great post, Larry.
May be one day I will meet Natasha. She lives not very far from me.
Her recipe of mushroom is toooooooo simple. Toooooooo much proteins.

I try to post pictures that I like, but it does not work.  So... I will try again.

Thank you, Orchid.  That mushroom recipe does look terrific.  If you meet Natasha I hope you take photos of the great dishes she makes for you. 

[Orchid]

I think I would be better balanced.
There are so many recipes with mushrooms!

[Larry]

There are so many recipes with mushrooms!

I know. I love mushrooms.  They are great in soups, on steaks, on chicken, in omelettes, and they work on a low-carb diet.

[Orchid]

Thank you, Orchid.  That mushroom recipe does look terrific.  If you meet Natasha I hope you take photos of the great dishes she makes for you. 

If I have time I will write her and offer my recipes. It's a good idea to get together, cook, take pictures and post on her site.
I am sure we would have great time together.
By the way, she is a nurse also.

[Orchid]

I know. I love mushrooms. 

Ahhhhhh................Larry.......

[Larry]

Thank you, Orchid.  That mushroom recipe does look terrific.  If you meet Natasha I hope you take photos of the great dishes she makes for you. 

If I have time I will write her and offer my recipes. It's a good idea to get together, cook, take pictures and post on her site.
I am sure we would have great time together.
By the way, she is a nurse also.

I think there are lots of FSUW who are nurses in the US.  Last time I was in the hospital one nurse was a lovely Belarusian.  And the time before my nurse was Maria, a beautiful RW with a wonderful sense of humor.

[Orchid]

I think there are lots of FSUW who are nurses in the US.  Last time I was in the hospital one nurse was a lovely Belarusian.  And the time before my nurse was Maria, a beautiful RW with a wonderful sense of humor.

I worked couple years on medsurge floor in Russia.
We do not have ugly scrubs in Russia, only in operating room.
On floor we wear nice white robe(белый халат) and not very tall, but heels.
In summer we had so many male patients! Because of heat we did not wear much of underwear...

[Larry]

I worked couple years on medsurge floor in Russia...
In summer we had so many male patients! Because of heat we did not wear much of underwear...

I can imagine that you had so many male patients.

[Orchid]

I worked couple years on medsurge floor in Russia...
In summer we had so many male patients! Because of heat we did not wear much of underwear...

I can imagine that you had so many male patients.

It is what you said "beautiful RW with a wonderful sense of humor."

[Larry]

I worked couple years on medsurge floor in Russia...
In summer we had so many male patients! Because of heat we did not wear much of underwear...

I can imagine that you had so many male patients.

It is what you said "beautiful RW with a wonderful sense of humor."

That's what all of us are looking for.

And if she likes sex and mushrooms, that's a bonus.

[GuppyCaptain]

I'm not crazy about sour cream, but this is coming from a guy who absolutely hates mayo & ranch. A lot of Hungarian dishes have sour cream as well so inevitably I end up eating it.

I found a good substitute for mayo & ranch and sour cream. It is fat free plain Greek yogurt.
I add salt, papper, and dry herbs to this yogurt. Sometimes I add a little grape seed oil.
The main purpose is to reduce calories and have the same taste.
May be it will work for you, Mr. GuppyCaptain.

Spasibo Orchid......and please feel free to call me Istvan or at the very least you can leave off the "Mr." 

[GuppyCaptain]

Thank you, Orchid.  That mushroom recipe does look terrific.  If you meet Natasha I hope you take photos of the great dishes she makes for you. 

If I have time I will write her and offer my recipes. It's a good idea to get together, cook, take pictures and post on her site.
I am sure we would have great time together.
By the way, she is a nurse also.

I think there are lots of FSUW who are nurses in the US.  Last time I was in the hospital one nurse was a lovely Belarusian.  And the time before my nurse was Maria, a beautiful RW with a wonderful sense of humor.

Yes, I've noticed the same thing. Too bad a brutal communist medical procedure during my youth has made me mortified of anything medical 

[Orchid]

Spasibo Orchid......and please feel free to call me Istvan or at the very least you can leave off the "Mr."

Istvan......Hmmm.......Sounds beautiful. Thank you.
I would like to tell you my real name, but I am not that brave.
Nice to meet you, Istvan.

[Orchid]

... if she likes sex and mushrooms, that's a bonus.

In Russia we would say "sex and roses".
OK, let it be sex, mushrooms, and sour cream (just to stay in topic). 

[GuppyCaptain]

Spasibo Orchid......and please feel free to call me Istvan or at the very least you can leave off the "Mr."

Istvan......Hmmm.......Sounds beautiful. Thank you.
I would like to tell you my real name, but I am not that brave.
Nice to meet you, Istvan.

No problem, Orchid. Nice to "meet" you as well.

[JayH]

If I have time I will write her and offer my recipes. It's a good idea to get together, cook, take pictures and post on her site.
I am sure we would have great time together.
By the way, she is a nurse also.

I think there are lots of FSUW who are nurses in the US.  Last time I was in the hospital one nurse was a lovely Belarusian.  And the time before my nurse was Maria, a beautiful RW with a wonderful sense of humor.
[/quote]

I think there are lots of FSUW who are nurses in the US.  Last time I was in the hospital one nurse was a lovely Belarusian.  And the time before my nurse was Maria, a beautiful RW with a wonderful sense of humor.

On floor we wear nice white robe(белый халат) and not very tall, but heels.
In summer we had so many male patients! Because of heat we did not wear much of underwear...

Larry --is this all the reason you keep going back?

[Larry]

If I have time I will write her and offer my recipes. It's a good idea to get together, cook, take pictures and post on her site.
I am sure we would have great time together.
By the way, she is a nurse also.

I think there are lots of FSUW who are nurses in the US.  Last time I was in the hospital one nurse was a lovely Belarusian.  And the time before my nurse was Maria, a beautiful RW with a wonderful sense of humor.

I think there are lots of FSUW who are nurses in the US.  Last time I was in the hospital one nurse was a lovely Belarusian.  And the time before my nurse was Maria, a beautiful RW with a wonderful sense of humor.

On floor we wear nice white robe(белый халат) and not very tall, but heels.
In summer we had so many male patients! Because of heat we did not wear much of underwear...

Larry --is this all the reason you keep going back?
[/quote]

No, but it is a nice bonus.