Russian Food

V. Fish, Fish Dishes and Fishing Industry Produce

1. anchovy

2. bream

3. burbot

4. carp

· wild carp

5. caviar

· pressed caviar

· red caviar

· soft caviar

6. cod (cod-fish) (pl. cod)

· cod liver

7. crawfish (crayfish)

8. crucian

9. eel/grig

10. fish (pl. fish, fishes)

(The plural form fishes is used when various kinds of fish are meant.)

· chilled/frozen fish

· dried fish

· fish in oil

· fish in tomato sauce

· fish scale

· fish soup

· fried fish

· fried fish in batter

· jellied fish

· salt fish

· smoked (cured) fish

· strip (piece) of fish

· stuffed fish

· tinned (AmE: canned) fish

11. flounder

12. gudgeon

13. haddock

14. hake

15. herring

· red herring/bloater

16. ling

17. mackerel/scomber

· horse-mackerel

18. perch/bass

19. pike

20. plaice (pl. plaice)

21. roach (sea-roach)

22. salmon (pl. salmon)

· humpback(ed) salmon

· Siberian salmon/dog salmon

· smoked salmon

23. sardine

· tinned sardines

24. sheat fish

25. shellfish

VI. Dairy Produce and Fats

1. butter

· boiled butter

· butter bread (smear or spread butter on (one’s) bread)

· to melt butter

2. cheese

(A cheese is a complete ball of cheese within the rind.)

· cheese dip (fondue)

· cheese paring, rind

· cheese sandwich

· cottage cheese

· cream (cottage) cheese

· to pare cheese

· processed cheese

· strong cheese

3. clotted cream

4. cream

· scalded cream

· whipped cream

5. curds

6. lard

7. margarine, marge

8. milk

· condensed milk

· curdle milk

· new milk

· milk-shake

· milk-and-water

· skim milk

· sour milk

· whole milk

9. sour (clotted) milk

10. sour cream

11. suet

12. yoghurt

READING.

Read and translate the following text in writing.

Russian Food

When Russian cuisine is mentioned, the first things to come to one’s mind are cabbage soup, porridge, pies, pancakes and, perhaps, fish soup. This list will by all means include the famous Russian vodka and the things that traditionally go with it like caviar, balyk (cured fillet of sturgeon), and pickled mushrooms. Kvass (a soft drink made of fermented rye bread) and spice-cakes are some of the better-known desserts. This is a popular idea of the Russian food that a person coming to Russia for the first time is likely to have. No doubt, this impression is very incomplete and superficial. Let us try to overcome this stereotype and get a better and more profound understanding of the subject. Russia is a great country, with many diverse geographic and climatic zones. There are specific local dishes in every region of Russia. At the same time, there are many dishes and methods of cooking that are common to the whole of the country.

Let us try to present in a nutshell the most important peculiarities of the Russian cuisine. Firstly, it is the abundance and variety of fish dishes (first and foremost, those made of fresh-water fish). Secondly, it is the presence of hot soups of all kinds in the day-to-day menu. Thirdly, it is a great variety of pies, pancakes, and other baked foods. And, finally, it is a special liking that Russians have to all sorts of cold hors-d’oeuvres or appetizers with salt fish, sauerkraut, pickled mushrooms, and vegetable and fruit pickles being the favorites. Certainly, all these peculiarities can be explained by many reasons, but the geography and climate of Russia are, undoubtedly, two of the most important ones. Vast forests for centuries were an inexhaustible source of mushrooms and berries, while the steppes, where various grains were cultivated, provided cereals and flour. Numerous rivers and lakes teemed with all kinds of fish. At the same time, rigorous climate necessitated the preservation of all these gifts of nature by drying, salting, or pickling.

The food that contemporary Russians have on their tables differs noticeably from what their ancestors used to eat. The present generation in everyday life consumes generally the same omelets, steaks, cutlets, frankfurters with garnish, tea, and coffee that other Europeans do. However, just like any other nation, Russians have saved many authentic national dishes that are mostly reserved for holidays and other special occasions. We would like to introduce you to some of those truly Russian dishes whose names often sound so exotic to a foreign ear.

The sequence of courses during a dinner that was established centuries ago has remained unchanged till nowadays. The dinner begins with cold appetizers, then comes the first liquid main course (a soup) followed by the second main course. The desserts and sweet drinks follow this. Let us start to familiarize ourselves with the Russian cuisine in the same order. Try to imagine that you are present at a festive dinner in a Russian family. This kind of feast usually precedes as follows:

Drinks

When the guests come to a house, the table is already laid and there are drinks and cold appetizers waiting for them. Among strong drinks the central place is always occupied by vodka along with nastoykas and nalivkas (fruit liqueurs) made of it. In making them Russian gourmets displayed their remarkable fantasy and taste. To prepare these drinks, they infused vodka with St. John’s wort, wormwood, mint, other medicinal herbs, cowberry, ashberry, berries of juniper and many other wild berries, anise and caraway seeds, currant and birch buds, nuts, pepper, garlic, lemon and orange rind, etc. The easiest way to make a nastoyka is to drop a handful of berries into a bottle of vodka, leave it for three or four days, and it’s ready. To make a nalivka, the proportion is different: two parts of berries are added to one part of vodka. The mixture is then seasoned in a closed vessel for several months. The resulting drink is very sweet, tasty and sufficiently strong. It is considered to be a ladies’ drink. Home-made nastoykas and nalivkas contributed to the culture of wine-drinking in Russia.

As a rule, kvass was prominently present on the table as a soft drink during any festive meal. Kvass, invented over a thousand years ago, is a popular drink even now. It has always enjoyed great popularity in Russia. It was brewed in pheasant homes and estates of landlords, in monasteries and hospitals. No Russian could do without it. People drank it during their work-day, after work, and before and after meals. Kvass was a drink for every day. Methods for making kvass were known in every Russian home. It was usually made of malt, fresh, or dried rye bread. It goes without saying, that kvass was an absolute must at any feast.