Moscow is a large city and like many large cities, it has access to many different cuisines. Shelby Merritt talks a little bit about some food we’ve had here in Moscow.
As a massive foodie, one of the things I was most looking forward to on our trip to Moscow was the different types of cuisine we would encounter here. Before leaving Alabama, I had very limited experience with Russian food, listening to my friends and family joke about potatoes and vodka ad nauseam. I was bursting with excitement to finally try the authentic dishes I’d learned of, from pelmeni (small meat dumplings) to shashlik (grilled meat and vegetables) to olivier salad (potato salad, but with extra vegetables and ham). Once arriving here, though, I quickly realized that I was going to be in for a lot more than just your standard Russian food.
While there is indeed an overabundance of delicacies everywhere you look that you usually think of when you think of Russia, like borsch and plov, there is also a shocking amount of Ukrainian and Georgian restaurants. These places owe their demand to a number of things, with perhaps the greatest attribute being former Soviet Union republics, followed by a thriving popularity, at least for Georgian food, originally due to Joseph Stalin, who favored the cuisine of his home country. After sampling some of the dishes from both countries, the taste is also definitely a contributing factor! Without coming to Moscow, however, these are dishes that I probably never would have been able to sample in my life, since there is certainly nothing like this back in Alabama. Georgian food typically comprises of walnuts, vegetables, lamb (or meat), bread, and cheese, and I have also heard very pleasant things about Georgian wine, as well. In comparison, Ukranian dishes comprise of heavier, richer flavors which you can find in such dishes like chicken Kiev, where flavored butter is covered completely by chicken meat, breaded, and then cooked.
Like most cities and towns, Moscow naturally has fast food and sit-down chain restaurants, too; these run the gamut from your standard McDonalds to Soviet-style themed, family-friendly places, yet what amazed me the most was the absolute variety of foods from all over the world. While Mobile does have some variety of foods, it pales in comparison to the sheer scope of Moscow’s offerings. Whether it be Vietnamese pho or Mexican burritos, if you want something and look hard enough, it can be found here; I’ve had chicken wings so hot, I cried (I consider myself a person who can handle spice without batting an eye, so this hurt my pride a bit), a stellar burger with a black bun that came with gloves to eat it with, and a falafel stuffed pita with a tahini sauce that was just insanely good. It’s still a bit shocking to me that I have so many great, varied choices right outside my door that are just waiting to be tried, and it pains me to know that I unfortunately won’t be able to hit them all before I leave.
Of course, there are also places to drink and unwind after a long day of classes or work. Moscow is home to countless bars and pubs, and craft beers and ciders seem to be all the rage here. The best thing about the drinks here is that they are seasonal; ciders are only made with fruits and berries that are currently growing and change as the seasons do, and there are a wide assortment of different, extremely cheap drinks, sometimes as low as $2, to try in case one wasn’t to your taste. Due to medications, I haven’t been able to drink or actually try any of the adult beverages this trip; however, not being able to drink hasn’t stopped me from perusing the bar culture here. There are usually a few non-alcoholic options at every bar, and every single one of them (and I’ve been to more than I can count at this point) has had a different atmosphere that is suitable for anyone or any occasion, whether it be just a good time with friends, a punk live music venue, or even a lofty space to relax with a laptop.
Even though I’ve only been here for nearly a month already, I’ve had perhaps only one bad experience with food out of the many, many so far. With a little over one more month to go, it’s really put the pressure on for me to try and cram in as many food-related experiences as I can get, especially since many of these types of cuisines will be hard, if not impossible, for me to find once I return back home.
USA in Russia 2019 