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Articles by Pavel and Olga Syutkin

weekend kitchen

Okroshka for all Seasons and Tastes

Get ready for the hot weather with a classic cooling, soothing soup.
7 Min read
weekend kitchen

Meat Pockets Filled With Mushrooms

A culinary tale of Bulgarians, Uzbeks, military history, a hero and a spectacular new dish.
6 Min read
weekend kitchen

The Trick With Trout? Hold the Sauce

A delicious way to prepare the delicious Gatchina trout.
6 Min read
weekend kitchen

Spring for Green Borshch

Nettle or sorrel soup? Try these refreshing soups that announce spring is truly here.
5 Min read
weekend kitchen

Borodinsky Steak: Meat and Bread in One

Borodinsky has been one of the most popular types of bread in Russia for many decades. When foreigners visit they are given a taste of Borodinsky to show...
6 Min read
weekend kitchen

Russian Rhubarb? Mais Oui!

Rhubarb has been eaten in Russia in many forms for centuries.
5 Min read
weekend kitchen

What Did Poet Joseph Brodsky Have in Common With Cookies?

The weird history of tsarist Jubilees during Soviet times and "lazy" cookies and poets.
5 Min read
weekend kitchen

Colored Easter Eggs: Life After the Party

A history of Easter eggs in Russia... and what to do with them after the holiday.
5 Min read
weekend kitchen

Kulich: The Glory of the Easter Table

The kulich has long been baked for Easter but it didn't always look the way it does today.
7 Min read
weekend kitchen

Dinner is Served Under the Spreading Cranberry Tree

On April Fool's Day we celebrate the jokes and hoaxes of Russian cuisine.
7 Min read
weekend kitchen

Ice-Cold Sushi From Russia's North

The nations of the far north knew what to do with fish: freeze it, skin it, and slice it into thin strips.
6 Min read
weekend kitchen

The Art of Vinaigrette

In French vinaigrette is a dressing; in Russian, it's a salad... dressed with vinaigrette.
6 Min read
weekend kitchen

Revenge is Sweet With Russian Eclairs

A Swiss family's confectionary shops once delighted Russians with a sweet tooth.
5 Min read
weekend kitchen

Porridge Fit For a Tsar

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so try this dish fit for the royal family.
5 Min read
weekend kitchen

A Blini Bash for the Last Day of Maslenitsa

Before the 1917 Revolution, the week before Lent was the biggest and best holiday of the year.
6 Min read
weekend kitchen

The Long Lost History of Russian Blinis

If you ask anyone to describe Russian cuisine, one of the first dishes that will come to mind will certainly be blinis. They are a truly iconic dish that...
6 Min read
weekend kitchen

When Rabbits Were Golden

"The rabbit is Stalin's bull." This ridiculous slogan of the early 1930s is almost forgotten today. But at the time it was emblazoned on the front pages...
weekend kitchen

How Ukrainian Borshch Conquered the Baltic Fleet

Today if you want to really outrage the Russian Foreign Ministry, just tell them that borshch is Ukrainian. Even soccer fans' notorious and obscene chant...
weekend kitchen

Pumpkin Surprise for a Bride, Groom or Guest

Pumpkin is a special case in Russian cuisine. On the one hand, it is not very common. On the other hand, Russian cuisine seems incomplete without it. Of...
weekend kitchen

Celebrate Old New Year’s Day With Buzhenina

Buzhenina is one of the most delicious and ubiquitous main courses at holiday feasts. You might find it on a royal table or in a traveler's backpack. It...
weekend kitchen

The Pie that Destroyed the Soviet Union

Where there's Christmas, there's Christmas Eve. Twelve days "from star to water," that is, from the appearance of the first star on Christmas Eve to baptism...
weekend kitchen

Chocolate Sausage and the End of the Rat King

Creamy, chocolatey logs made from cookies, cocoa, and butter were on the table in almost every Soviet family. Despite their foreign origins, they became...
weekend kitchen

Play With Fire for a Spectacular Holiday Drink

Zhzhyonka (жжёнка) may look like a series of typos and be hard for non-Russian speakers to pronounce. But zhzhyonka is a legend of pre-Revolutionary...
weekend kitchen

How the Goose Defeated the Swan: A Christmas Tale

There isn’t a single depiction of a holiday by a Russian artist without swans, ducks, and geese on the table. They are baked under a golden crust...
weekend kitchen

The Russian Salad That Never Goes Out of Fashion

This salad is known around the world, but its origins remain hidden in the culinary mists of time.
weekend kitchen

The History and Mystery of Beef Stroganoff

Did a Stroganov or his chef invent this dish? Which one? And does it matter?
Weekend Kitchen

The Art of Pâté

The Russian word “pashtet” (паштет) may not be Russian originally, but now it is firmly part of the language. But few people today...
Weekend Kitchen

In Russia Thursday is Fish Day

Thursday was a special day in the Soviet Union— Fish Day. All the cafeterias in the country only sold fish dishes that day. Until Friday dawned,...
weekend kitchen

Russian Ushnoye: Soup or Stew?

Ushnoye is yet another mysterious Russian dish that culinary experts are still arguing about. We decided to be detectives and investigate it through the...
weekend kitchen

The Curious Russian History of Lobsters and Crab Sticks

Lobsters, crabs, crawfish… what could be further from Russian cuisine? Actually, that’s not right, if only because all kinds of European seafood...
weekend kitchen

Who Doesn't Love Cabbage Rolls?

A joke in Russian goes like this: some people eat meat, some people eat cabbage, but on average people eat cabbage rolls. Today everyone in Russia knows...
weekend kitchen

Chocolate Potatoes for Dessert

One of the rites of culinary passage for foreigners in Russia is the first time they are introduced to a “chocolate potato,” one of the iconic...
weekend kitchen

The Paradox of Pelmeni

Pelmeni are a paradoxical dish. Although Siberian pelmeni most likely came from China originally — from famous New Year's dumplings called jiaozi...
weekend kitchen

Kurnik: A Wedding Dish for One Hen of a Bride

Today if you said a woman looked like chicken, she’d be deeply offended. But in the olden days in central Russia, a chicken was good omen at a wedding...
weekend kitchen

Where's the Cheese in Russian Cheese Pancakes?

Syrniki are thick curd cheese “pancakes” that everyone knows and loves. But where does the word "synik" come from? Most people think it comes...
weekend kitchen

How Russian Solyanka Was Born From Polish Bigos

Solyanka is one of Russian dishes that has a very convoluted and confusing history. Is it a soup or a main course of stewed cabbage? Is it spelled  ...
weekend kitchen

Apple Aspic: Down With Stereotypes!

Foreigners generally don't like Russian meat jellies and aspics. So try an apple aspic first!
weekend kitchen

Forshmak: A Russian-Jewish-German Dish

Here's a dish that is simple to make and delicious on dense dark bread.
weekend kitchen

From Kyiv With Dry Jam

One of the most delectable ways to preserve summer's bounty comes from Kyiv.
weekend kitchen

The Mysterious and Misunderstood Russian Telnoye

Here is an ancient dish made of minced fish that has evolved over the centuries but remains delicious.
weekend kitchen

Russian Revolutionary Rassolnik

How the 1917 Revolution changed a traditional Russian dish.
weekend kitchen

Karl Nesselrode: Foreign Minister and Pudding

Karl Nesselrode was Russia's longest serving foreign minister and a recipe developer. Who knew?
weekend kitchen

Which Came First: Vareniki or Pelmeni?

Vareniki are Ukrainian dumplings, and cherry-filled vareniki are summer's bliss.
weekend kitchen

Stepanida's Rasstegai

How a Roma singer with the voice of a nightingale inspired a pastry.
weekend kitchen

Medovik: Russia’s Famous and Mysterious Honey Cake

Medovik is made as many ways as there are home cooks. Here is the Syutkin family recipe.
weekend kitchen

The Taste of Russia: Pickles with Honey

Salted, soused, pickled and marinated vegetables and fruits are the essence of Russian cuisine.
weekend kitchen

Ukha: Not Your Average Fish Soup

If you ask for the "authentic" recipe for ukha, you'll get dozens of them.
opinion Pavel and Olga Syutkin

As Prices Rise in Supermarkets, Russian Families Suffer

The state caps the price of essential goods and stores compensate by raising the price on everything else.