The Moscow Times

Support The Moscow Times!

Contribute today

art of Russian cuisine

Not Your Babushka’s Sour Cabbage

Everything you wanted to know about fermentation but were too intimidated by that babushka to ask.

'The Girl From the Hermitage'

Follow Galina from the Leningrad siege to today's St. Petersburg.

Russian cuisine

A Tale of Two Charlottes

How did English Apple Charlotte find its way into the hearts, minds, and kitchens of Imperial Russia?

quarantine cuisine

Draniki: Out of the Belarusian Frying Pan

Jennifer Eremeeva helps you expand your Slavic kitchen repertoire with Belarusian potato pancakes.

quarantine cuisine

In the Tvorog Test Kitchen

Not cottage cheese, not ricotta, not quark... tvorog is similar to all but utterly, deliciously unique.

quarantine cuisine

By the Book: 'The Soviet Diet Cookbook'

Learning to cook the (post-) Soviet way: with Babushka and The Book.

quarantine cuisine

Cool Down with Slavic Ceviche

Jennifer Eremeeva proves that if Russians love cured salmon and adore sushi, they'll eat up ceviche, too.

Quarantine cuisine

Mustard & Horseradish: Russia’s Homegrown Condiments

Jennifer Eremeeva takes us into the pantry to make our very own, delicious native Russian condiments.

quarantine cuisine

Kvas: Russia’s National Tipple

No kvas truck making deliveries in your neighborhood? No problem! Start brewing!

quarantine cuisine

Taming Morkovcha — Russia’s Beloved Korean Carrot Salad

Jennifer Eremeeva cracks the code of everyone's favorite carrot salad.

quarantine cuisine

Waste-Not-Want-Not Sour Cream Scallion Dip and Sukhariki

Jennifer Eremeeva shows us how thrift produces the perfect Russian beer snack.

Quarantine cuisine

Hansa Herring Salad for a Healthy Holiday Picnic

Herring - love it or leave it? Try Hansa salad and see if you invite this little pickled fish to stay.

quarantine cuisine

Shashlyk in the City

As quarantine puts the kibosh on the dacha season, urbanites need to get their grilled meat fix.

quarantine cuisine

Conquering the Heart of Borodinsky Bread

Jennifer Eremeeva has used the lock-down wisely. It involves home-made bread and a spongy friend.

quarantine cuisine

'Carpathia: Food From the Heart of Romania'

With all semblance of regular meals eroding, “Carpathia” is a timely addition to the cookery book canon.

Grigory Kanovich's 'Devilspel' Wins EBRD Book Prize

A brilliant novel about the darkest of times that keeps the light of humanity burning throughout.

quarantine cuisine

Pasta Perestroika: Remembering Things Past

Jennifer Eremeeva takes us down memory lane and straight to the pantry and liquor cabinet. Delicious.

quarantine cuisine

Quarantine Easter Egg Salad

Easter and lock-down combine perfectly to introduce egg salad to the Russian culinary canon.

quarantine cuisine

Bean Fritters for the Zoom Generation

Did you panic buy beans? Great! Modify meat, fish or vegetable patties for an easy and tasty dinner.

quarantine cuisine

Lentil Soup Four Ways

Combine lentils, aromatics and spices for dinner and armchair travel. Chases away the self-isolation blues.

quarantine cuisine

Got Grechka? Make a Grain Bowl!

Self-Isolating? Stress-eating? Cook up something delicious with those hoarded supplies instead.

Darra Goldstein Goes 'Beyond the North Wind'

Jennifer Eremeeva reviews and samples Darra Goldstein's latest delicious study of Russian cuisine.

The Beet Goes On

Jennifer Eremeeva explains, deliciously, why we should love the beet.

Savory Kutiya for Kolodia and Christmas

What's kutiya? And Kolodia? Can I eat them? Do I want to? Jennifer Eremeeva tells all deliciously.

'Russia's 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories'

100 vignettes of Russian life that together form a vivid history of a tumultuous, tragic, heroic century.

'Seasoned Socialism: Gender & Food in Late Soviet Everyday Life'

Fascinating and fun required reading for students of Russian and Soviet literature, history, and politics.

'Godless Utopia: The Anti-Religious Campaign In Russia'

A book as beautifully designed as it is fascinating and timely.

in history's footsteps

The Many Lives of the Tsar's Village

Autumn is a perfect time for a trip out of the northern capital and into the past.

Cooking Moscow Market Bounty: 'That Eggplant Thing'

Moscow's markets are overflowing with eggplant right now. Jennifer Eremeeva to the rescue.

Must-see museum

Fabergé and the Link of Times

In St. Petersburg, be sure to stop in at this relatively new and truly fabulous museum.

'Vasily Grossman and the Soviet Century'

Popoff brings to life Grossman, his work, and the dark times he lived through.

The Quiet Epic Journey of 'Maybe Esther'

Our third Pushkin House Book Prize nominee is a unique exploration of the historical and familial past.

What's for dinner

Okroshka: Summer's Simple Pleasure

Jennifer Eremeeva gives us the blueprint for Russia's best summer soup.

The Heroic Bitter Land of 'Chernobyl'

A television series about the U.S.S.R. written and produced in the West that has Russian viewers raving.

Into the Frying Pan: 9 Top Russian Cookbooks

What better way to spend the weekend than reading about, cooking and eating great Russian food?

Chikhirtma

Happy? Sad? Hungover? Feverish? Or just plain hungry? Grab a pot.

The Definitive Beef Stroganoff

What you've all been waiting for - the best recipe for Beef Stroganoff ever.

Lucky Lentils For a Prosperous New Year

Russians let you start the new year again this weekend. And here's the lucky dish to celebrate with.

Shock the Guests on New Year's Eve

Still cooking, chopping and fighting over the New Year's menu? Try something old with a new twist.

Holiday Dazzler

Looking for a Russian-inspired party dazzler that's easy to make? Look no further.

Feed the Fleet!

In honor of the armed forces around the world, our favorite cook has made boring into bright and tasty.

The Romanoffs: The Empire Strikes Back

We asked Jennifer Eremeeva to watch one more episode of Amazon's "The Romanoffs" and let us know how it's going. It's going strangely.

The Amazon Series Sets Romanoffs Adrift

Is it worth the hype? Jennifer Eremeeva, who knows her Russian history and Romanov lore, reviews the first two episodes.

Tolstoy, Plums and a Chicken

How to make use of the sweet harvest and get a quick dinner on the table, via Georgia and Jennifer Eremeeva, with honorable mention to Leo Tolstoy.

The Dacha Diaries: Rock Star Chicken Shashlik

The last weekend before school begins is sacred. Heat up the grill, pull a few bottles out of your refrigerator and prepare for shashlik bliss.

Russia and Vodka: A History Primer

Before you pour your ritual Friday evening shot of cold vodka, read this. There's more to Russia's favorite spirit than you think!

The Dacha Diaries: At the Grill

What do Russians do at the dacha all weekend? They make a feast. Here's a primer on shashlik, aka kabobs, Russian style.

A Taste of St. Petersburg: Herring and New Potato Salad Recipe

This classic recipe includes northern Russia's premier players: sour cream, herring, and new potatoes, the jewels of the short northern growing season...

Spring Borshch: Cooks, Shoots, and Leaves

Expand your borshch vocabulary and repertory with pink or green spring borshch. P.S. Cheat sheet attached.

A Russian Easter Feast

The traditional Russian calendar's most famous feast, explained, updated, and made even more delicious.

An #Instafab International Women’s Day

A meal fit for your favorite great women. Don your aprons and get started!

Celebrating Men’s Day in the #MeToo Era

It's Defender of the Homeland Day! Let's get cooking!

A Dutiful Daughter-in-Law’s Maslenitsa Party

Break out your crepe pan! It’s Maslenitsa, Russia’s raucous and riotous Shrovetide!

Russian Vodka Day

Almost every day is a holiday in Russia. Today is Vodka Day. Best. Holiday. Ever

The Russian New Year’s Eve Menu, Reimagined

Can an American wife and a Russian husband find culinary happiness on New Year's Eve in Moscow? Yes, they can. And you can, too.

Moscow's Culinary Renaissance

Moscow food scene has expanded dramatically over the past decade

opinion Jennifer Eremeeva

Sanctions Put Moscow's Foodies in a Tight Spot

I find President Vladimir Putin annoying at the best of times, but this month my distaste has blossomed into unbridled loathing.