The menu often begins with a section called «фирменные блюда» specialty dishes (or "specials of the day"), and the notation «шеф-повар рекомендует сегодня» "the chef recommends..."
The next section закуски hors d'œuvres is divided into холодные закуски cold hors d'oeuvres and горячие закуски hot hors d'oeuvres. Here are some закуски:
икра черная, зернистая | black caviar |
икра паюсная | pressed caviar |
икра красная (кетовая) | red caviar |
лососина копчёная | smoked salmon |
осетрина | sturgeon |
ветчина | ham |
сыр | cheese |
салат | salad |
грибы | mushrooms |
маринованные грибы | marinated mushrooms |
маслины | olives |
Salads are also popular as закуски:
| зелёний салат | gree salad |
| салат из огурцов | cucumber salad |
| салат из лука | spring onion salad |
| салат из помидоров | tomato salad |
| салат из редиски | radish salad |
A Russian салат is ususally potato salad, unless indixcated otherwise (as the above list shows).
The next section on the menu is супы soups. They will be designated on the menu as первое (literally "fisrt soup"). Russians consider soup an important part of the middday meal. Some soups are served with sour cream, fresh chopped dill or spring onions. Пирожки meat pies or small bowl of каша cooked buckwheat may accompany certain kind of soup.
Russain soups include:
Борщ made with beef stocks, beets, onions, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. It is often served with sour cream.
Щи made with cabbage but no beets. It is considered to be Russian while Борщ is Ukrainian. Different types of щи include:
| мясные щи | meat щи |
| вегетарианские щи | vegetarian щи |
| свежие щи | fresh cabbage щи |
| кислые щи | щи made with pickled cabbage |
| суточные щи | yesterday's щи (supposed to improve but standing overnight) |
Рассольник made with chicken giblets, veal kidneys, vegetables and pickles and served with sour cream.
Бульон clear broth. Often contains фрикадельки little meat balls; sometimes served с яйцом with chopped hard-boiled eggs or accompanied by пирожки с мясом meat pies.
Уха fish soup.
Солянка spicy soup made with fish, meat or sausage.
Окрошка cold summer soup made with квас kvas, beets, fresh cucumbers and hard-boiled eggs and served with fresh dill, sour cream and spring onions.
Свекольник sweet and sour beet soup, served cold with sour cream.
Харчо thick spicy soup made with lamb; a traditional Georgian soup.
Второе (literally "second course") is the main course after закуски and суп in a full Russian meal. As in the West, the main course may be fish, poultry or meat.
РЫБА fish
осетрина sturgeon форель trout камбала flounder щука pike карп carp палтус
halibut
сом
catfish
треска
cod
окунь
perch
Fish is prepared in a variety of ways:
паровая
steamed
жареная
fried
под белым соусом
in a white sauce
с лимоном
with lemon
в белом вине
in a white wine sauce
по-польски
«à la polonaise»
по-русски
«à la russe»
в тесте
batter-fried
ПТИЦА poultry:
курица, цыплёнок
chicken
индейка, индюшка
turkey
гусь
goose
утка
duck
ЦЫПЛЯТА ТАБАКА pressed chicken with garlic; a dish from the Caucasus.
КОТЛЕТЫ ПО-КИЕВСКИ Chicken Kiev.
МЯСО meat:
говядина beef свинина pork телятина veal баранина lamb
lamb
ШАШЛЫК shishkebab; usually lamb, sometimes beef
БИФШТЕКС beef steak
КОТЛЕТЫ similar to hamburgers but without a bun
АНТРЕКОТ steak
ЛАНГЕТ filet mignon
ШНИЦЕЛЬ schnitzel
БЕФСТРОГАНОВ beef stroganoff
СВИНАЯ ОТБИВНАЯ pork chop
СОСИСКИ frankfurters
ПОДЖАРКА roast meat in a casserole with potatoes
АЗУ spicy stew
Vegetarians take heart! The following dishes are often offered as main courses:
БЛИНЫ Russian style pancakes (similar to crepes) which are eaten with caviar, herring, melted butter, sour cream and for dessert, preserves.
БЛИНЧИКИ crepes filled with ricotta cheese, meat or preserves.
ПИРОЖКИ pastry filled with meat, cabbage, hard-boiled eggs or rice.
СЫРНИКИ fried ricotta cheese patties
ОЛАДЬИ fritters
МАКАРОНЫ macaroni (and spaghetti as well)
ЛАПША flat egg-noodles
ОМЛЕТ omelet
ЯИЧНИЦА scrambled or fried eggs
ТВОРОГ similar to ricotta cheese, served with sour cream or sugar
СМЕТАНА sour cream
ПИРОЖНОЕ pastry, tart
ТОРТ layer cake
МОРОЖЕНОЕ ice cream
СЛИВОЧНОЕ vanilla
ШОКОЛАДНОЕ chocolate
БЛИНЧИКИ crepes
С ВАРЕНЬЕМ with jam
СВЕЖИЕ ФРУКТЫ fresh fruit
КОМПОТ stewed fruit
КОНФЕТЫ candy
ЧАЙ tea
ЧАЙ С САХАРОМ tea with sugar
ЧАЙ С ЛИМОНОМ tea with lemon
КОФЕ coffee
ЧЁРНЫЙ КОФЕ black coffee
КОФЕ СО СЛИВКАМИ coffee with cream
КИСЕЛЬ thickened fruit juice (almost Jello)
МОРС, СОК fruit juice
ЛИМОНАД carbonated drink similar to V-Up
МИНЕРАЛЬНАЯ ВОДА mineral water
«НАРЗАН»«БОРЖОМИ»«ЕССЕНТУКИ»«БОРОДИНО» (different brands of mineral water)
СУХОЕ dry
СЛАДКОЕ sweet
КРАСНОЕ red
РОЗОВОЕ rose
БЕЛОЕ white
ШИПУЧЕЕ sparkling
ХОЛОДНОЕ chilled
КОМНАТНОЙ ТЕМПЕРАТУРЫ room temperature
ШАМПАНСКОЕ champagne
ПИВО beer
КОНЬЯК cognac, brandy
ВОДКА vodka
«СТОЛИЧНАЯ» considered the best brand
«СМИРНОВСКАЯ» Smirnoff, produced in the West
And finally: nothing is complete without condiments!
СОЛЬ salt
ПЕРЕЦ перец
уксус vinegar
ГОРЧИЦА mustard
САХАР sugar
On the following pages you'll find a menu from a now-defunct Russian restaurant in Baltimore. It will give you some idea of what the better restaurants in Moscow and St. Petersburg are offering these days.
