An interesting talk about Russian food culture: "Five Leaders", "Four King Kongs", and the Three Musketeers. What do Russians eat?

Choose the most important ones, including bread, milk, potatoes, cheese and sausages - the "Five Leaders"; cabbage, onions, carrots and beets - the "Four King Kong"; and black bread, vodka, caviar - the "Three Musketeers"

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Even before liberation, Shanghainese called spindle-shaped salty bread "Borsch (Russian) bread".

When I arrived in Russia, I realized that sweet breads with various flavors and fancy shapes are used as tea snacks. Only the slightly salty "borscht bread" is the "staple food" that is indispensable in local meals and never gets tired of it.

The bread made from the "hard wheat" and "strong wheat" produced here is very chewy and does not fall apart even when it dries.

As for milk, it is the favorite of Russians.

Milk consumption in Russia is close to 1 liter per capita per day. As early as the last century, cooking porridge with plain water instead of milk was regarded as a sign of extreme poverty.

Khrushchev once reduced communism to "roasted beef with potatoes," which shows the Russians' love for potatoes.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union once quoted a saying: the shorter the speech, the better, the longer the sausage, the better.

This shows their deep love for sausages.

The Russian writer Krylov has a fable about a fox tricking a crow into opening its mouth and tricking the crow into taking the cheese from its mouth.

It can be seen that Russians regard cheese as synonymous with gourmet food.

Brown bread, vodka and caviar To some extent, diet is a reflection of national identity.

The Russian nation is rough and bold, simple and honest, and its traditional diet is simple and bold.

Russians did not have high requirements in terms of diet in the past - large portions, heavy oil, and heat are enough. Brown bread and cabbage soup meet these three criteria.

A strong man doing manual labor would have to eat two or three pounds of bread in one meal, and the dry, hard and rough bread would have to be eaten with a lot of greasy cabbage soup.

Russian black bread has a rough crust, a sour and salty taste, and a color like sorghum noodles.

People who didn't know the situation thought it was poor food, and they once regarded it as strong evidence that the Soviet people "suffered twice, suffered twice".

In fact, brown bread is both filling and nutritious. It is also easy to digest and is very beneficial to the gastrointestinal tract. It is especially suitable with fish and other meat dishes.

This is because the wine used to ferment black bread contains a variety of vitamins and biological enzymes.

Russians hundreds of years ago learned this through experience.

From Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky in the 13th century to the present, the main food for Russian soldiers has been black bread.

The best thing to eat is the bread baked in the countryside using the method passed down by our ancestors. The bread dough is big enough for a small basin and is simmered in a Russian-style oven with a uniform temperature. When it comes out of the oven, tap the bottom of the bread and bang it.

The one with the loudest bang is the top grade.

In the old days, in the Russian countryside, enough bread was made for a week at a time. This was because making bread was very laborious, and it took nearly two days just to knead the dough and ferment it.

There was a big vat of noodles, and I couldn't handle it with my hands, so I simply washed my feet and jumped in to kick them.

Vodka is another reflection of the Russian national character.

The direct meaning of vodka is "lovely water", and Russians have a special liking for it.

Children and women are also included in the statistics. The average daily consumption per person here is 100 grams.

Vodka is generally 40 degrees, and together with brandy and whiskey, it is one of the three major spirits in the world.

However, compared with drinking whiskey with ice cubes and soda before a meal, and sipping brandy carefully after a meal, Russians drink vodka much more boldly, and even a full glass will be "stuffy".

Vodka tastes better when chilled. It's good to drink it with salted herring or black caviar, but drinkers don't need any snacks. A glass of wine and a smell of black bread is enough.

Europeans regard caviar as a top-quality delicacy, among which the one produced in Russia is top-notch.

There are three types of caviar: gray (pollen), red (salmon) and black (sturgeon).

The gray one has a strong taste, the red one is too fishy, ??and the black one is the best.

Even in the 1950s, when black caviar production was 10 times greater than today, eating a piece of bread with black caviar sauce and butter was a rare treat for Russians.

Russians are very enthusiastic and sincere towards their friends. Regardless of their family background, whether they are rich or poor, or their cooking skills are high or low, they must, as the Russian proverb says, "put on the table what is in the stove."

Russians treat guests with thoughtful etiquette. Make a reservation a week in advance. Regular guests will shake hands and hug each other when they come in, and put on comfortable felt slippers. The table must be covered with a tablecloth and napkins are provided. Knives, forks and porcelain plates must be wiped clean without any water stains.

Russian intellectuals are very particular about "the host follows the guest". They are willing to drink or not, what to drink, and how much to drink. They will never persuade you to drink. If you eat your favorite dishes with the bottom of the plate turned upside down, the host will be happy.

There were frequent toasts during the banquet, because Russians don't hold wine glasses without saying toasts.

Don't forget to toast the hostess. Russian men usually don't go to the kitchen. The hostess may be busy for a day or two in order to entertain guests.

The richness and variety of Russian cuisine is especially reflected in the cold dishes, such as pickled vegetables such as pickles, salads, sausages, cheese, fish jelly... A family banquet often requires nearly ten varieties of cold dishes.

There is usually no soup for dinner. After the cold dishes, there is the main course, usually barbecued chicken, duck, and fish.

Russian cuisine is originally very simple. As the saying goes, cabbage soup and oatmeal are the home-cooked dishes of Russians.

However, the Russians "follow what is good", whether it is Chinese dumplings, German sausages, British steaks, lamb toe tartare, Ukrainian red cabbage soup, car Olivier salad... the foreign dishes that are constantly introduced have eventually become Russian dishes.

A family.

Russian tableware was originally very simple. Each person held a large wooden spoon in his right hand and a large piece of bread in his left hand, which also served as a dinner plate.

Cups, plates, knives and forks introduced from Western Europe only entered ordinary households in the 19th century.

In the early days of farmers' meals, the parents sat at one end of the long table. The housewife put a large basin of cabbage soup and oatmeal with butter in the middle and sat at the other end of the long table. The old man and his children sat on both sides of the long table.