food
Chapters: 1
We Took a Table at the Restaurant
Valera regrets failing his differential equations exam, which got him expelled from the institute. Roman calms him down and gets drawn into the world…
Notes: 20
A Volume of 0.33 Liters
The 0.33-liter bottle size has a foreign origin. Its history traces back to the US: during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Pepsi-Cola began…
A Lemon Chaser: the "Nikolashka" -- cognac with lemon, sugar, and coffee
The history of the Russian cognac garnish known as the 'Nikolashka,' its tsarist-era legends, and why French sommeliers consider chasing cognac with…
Basturma: History, Tradition, and Preparation
Basturma is a traditional air-dried, cured meat popular across the Middle East, the Caucasus, and the Mediterranean, known for its rich taste and…
Soviet Carbonated Drinks: Lemonade as a Phenomenon of the Age
The making and manufacture of the Soviet carbonated drinks "Buratino" and "Kolokolchik": the formulas laid down by industry standards, the production…
Carbohydrates in the Diet: Why "Greens" Alone Aren't Enough
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in the diet: why vegetables and fruit alone aren't enough. The functions of macronutrients and the importance of a…
Cooperative Restaurants in the USSR: a Breath of Freedom at the Twilight of an Era
The 1988 law that legalized private enterprise and spawned Moscow's first cooperative restaurants — a revelation for a country raised on state…
Dotur: a Kalmyk offal soup
Dotur, the traditional Kalmyk offal-and-blood-sausage soup, and what it signals about Kalmyk identity in the novel's Elista joke.
Entrecôte
Entrecôte and langet were popular meat dishes of Soviet cuisine, differing from a modern steak in the absence of precise slicing and dry-aging…
Gunpowder Tea -- a Chinese Green Tea
Gunpowder (from Chinese 珠茶, "pearl tea") is a distinctive style of green tea whose leaves are rolled into small, tight pellets resembling gunpowder…
Illy Coffee in Early-1990s Russia
illycaffè is an Italian company founded in 1933 in Trieste by Francesco Illy. By the early 1990s, it was already a recognized producer of premium…
Leicestershire Pork Pie (the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie)
The Leicestershire pork pie, better known as the Melton Mowbray pork pie, is a cold meat pie with a rich history reaching back to the eighteenth…
Mozart Candies
Mozartkugeln are traditional chocolate candies with marzipan filling, created by Paul Fürst in 1890 to mark the 100th anniversary of Mozart's death…
Pelmeni Houses in Moscow
Pelmeni houses in 1980s-90s Moscow were popular as places for quick, affordable meals. They were known for their concise menu, plain interiors, and…
Shalman: the Polysemy of a Russian Slang Word
A detailed article on the word "shalman": the history of the term, its dual meanings (drinking establishment and brothel), and its connection to the…
Sirena: the seafood restaurant that defined 1990s Moscow power dining
Sirena: Arkady Novikov's first restaurant, the seafood-and-power-lunch spot that defined 1990s Moscow status dining.
Tartlets: A Refined French Tradition in the Context of the Era
Tartlets (French: tartelette) are miniature pastry-crust shells that in the 1990s became a symbol of refinement and European chic across the…
The Baguette: French Bread and the English Slang for Frenchmen
The baguette (from French baguette, ‘stick’ or ‘wand’) is the traditional elongated French bread that has become a symbol of French culinary culture.
The Restaurant "Tri Peskarya" ("Three Gudgeons"): Fish-Course Luxury of the 1990s
"Three Gudgeons" was Moscow's first premium restaurant with live fish tanks, where guests could pick their own fish to be cooked. Its signature…
Toblerone Swiss Chocolate
Swiss Toblerone chocolate is known for its triangular shape, inspired by the Matterhorn, and its blend of milk chocolate, honey, and nougat. Made…
Tsarskaya Okhota: A Legend of the Russian Restaurant Business
Tsarskaya Okhota ("The Tsar's Hunt") is one of the most iconic projects by Russian restaurateur Arkady Novikov, opened in 1996 and a symbol of the…