Most Russian main courses consist of meat and although the situation is improving, vegetarians still don’t always have a lot of choice when order food in restaurants. The most popular meats in Russia are pork, beef, chicken and lamb. However you can also sometimes find on the menu rabbit, duck, goose and in some specialist restaurants even wild boar, moose, venison and bear. In restaurants you normally need to choose a side dish separately to your main. Popular side dishes include fried potato, mashed potatoes, chips, rice, buckwheat or macaroni. Upon arriving in Russia it won’t take long for you to notice that dill is a popular herb in Russian cuisine.
Pelmeni
A favourite Russian dish, especially among students, is pelmeni. These are like fat ravioli stuffed with meat and boiled, although they can also be fried. They are normally served with sour cream and can even be served in the bouillon in which they were boiled. The dish originates from Siberia and the word pelmeni translates from the Komi language as ‘bread ear’.
