• Largest country in the world (1.8x the USA)
• Part of Europe and Asia
• Contains 8 time zones
• 6.602 million square miles
• Major Cities:
• Moscow (capital)
• Surrounding Countries:
• China, Mongolia, Ukraine, Latvia, Belarus, Lithuania, Finland,
Norway. Estonia, Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
and North Korea
• First used as a banner for Russian merchant ships and
became official as the flag of Russia in 1696
• Remained in use until 1917
• Re-introduced as the flag of the Russian in 1991
• Population: 143.5 million
• 160 different ethnic groups
and indigenous people
• Ethnic Groups:
• 80.90% Russian
• 3.87% Tatars
• 1.40% Ukrainians
• 1.15% Bashkirs
• 1.05% Chuvashs
• 1.04% Chechens
• 0.86% Armenians
• Religion:
• Orthodox Christianity: 75%
• Islam: 5%
• Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and Buddhism: 1%
• Language: Russian
• Currency: Russian ruble
• Large areas of plains and mountains
• Forests, tundra, swamps
• Plentiful game, mushrooms, berries, and nuts
• Water access - oceans, seas, & major
rivers
• Fish entrees play an important role
• Sturgeon is the favorite fish, from which black
caviar (fish eggs) is collected
• Bordered by MANY bodies of water:
• Arctic Ocean
• Black Sea
• Baltic Sea
• Pacific Ocean
• Cold climate with a short growing
season and little rainfall limit the
crops that are able to grow
• Grains (rye, barley, buckwheat, and
wheat), root vegetables (beets, turnips,
potatoes, onions), and cabbage
• People often rely on diets with many
complex carbohydrates to sustain
them through long, cold winters:
• Breads, porridge, beans, peas, winter
vegetables, and a variety of grains
• About three-fourths of the land is arable (able to be
farmed)
• Most important crops are mostly grains
• Occupies more than 50% of cultivable land area
• Dominant food crop is wheat which accounts for more than
70% of the total grain production in the country
• Second largest cultivated crop is barley
• Oats, potatoes, legumes are other major crops
• Potato cultivation is one of the most important food
crops of Russia. Potatoes are grown extensively in
Russia for consumption and for producing Vodka.
• Russians eat more fish than other cultures because, under the Russian Orthodox Church, many days of the year were fasting days and fish was the only meat allowed.
• At New Year's, Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), a character from folktale, may be seen at holiday events distributing pryaniki, a sweet cookie to signify wishes for a sweet new year.
• The Russian equivalent for
Mardi Gras happens
during Maslenitsa (Butter-
week)
• Week before Lent
• Bliny is a common dish
• Must be very thin, the thinner
the better
• Served with sweet or savory
filling or with butter, sour
cream, caviar, fresh fruit, or
smoked fish
• Easter: Pashka , a cold mixture of soft
cheese, butter, almonds, and currants, is
formed in a special mold shaped like a
pyramid with the top cut off to represent
the tomb of Jesus.
• Easter eggs are colored red to signify the
resurrection of Jesus. This is done by hard-
boiling eggs with red onion peel or beets.
• Roast pork is served for the main meal at
Easter.
• Nomadic tribes who inhabited the lands of Russia &
Eastern Europe frequently braised stews over an open
flame or grilled their food
• Popularity of both grilling and braising continues today
• Braising allows tough cuts of meat to become tender and
extends the small amount of meat into larger meals
• Russian homes used stoves for both heating homes and
cooking
• Early stoves contained a large oven but no burners
• Result: Braising and baking most prevalent methods
• Long winters require preserving summer's bounty
• Pickling fruits, vegetables, fish, sausage
• Cabbage = sauerkraut
• Apples, watermelon, & other fruits enter brines
• Preserve fruits into jellies, jams, and preserves
• Drying fruits and vegetables
• Traditional dishes include roasted meats, vegetables, soups, and stews. A staple of the Russian diet is dark, heavy bread.
• Russians eat four to six meals a day
• Breakfast
• Zavtrak or "morning coffee"
• Lunch, or obyed , is the main meal lasting from 12 noon until 1 p.m.
• Usually kasha, or baked buckwheat, is served at lunch
• Dinner, or uzhin , is another elaborate meal beginning at 6 p.m. and typically featuring several courses
• Breakfast is typically a large, hearty
meal
• Eggs, porridge, cheese and/or sausage,
accompanied by bread, butter, and jam is
common.
• Kasha - a type of porridge made from
different grains
• Butterbrots - a kind of sandwich made of
a single slice of bread and one topping
such as butter or ham
• Boiled or fried eggs
• Tvorog (similar to cottage cheese)
• Main meal eaten at midday
• Bliny (thin pancakes)
• Variety of savory and sweet pies filled with fish, cheese, jam,
cabbage, mushrooms, chopped hard-cooked eggs, or meat.
• Pierogi (large pies)
• Piroshki (small pies).
• The first course is often soup, although
soup may also be the entrée.
• Favorite soups include
• Borscht (beet soup traditionally served with
sour cream)
• Shchyee (cabbage soup)
• Andsolyanka (a tomato-based chowder)
• Bef Stroganov is a dish
of sautéed pieces of
beef served in a sauce
with smetana (sour
cream type product)
• Roast meat, with
potatoes and root
vegetables.
• Selodka, or herring with a vinegar and oil dressing, is
the best-known appetizer.
• Hot sweetened tea, called chai, is served frequently
• Kissel, a piece of stewed fruit thickened with cornstarch with milk poured over it, is a traditional dessert.
• Dessert may be ice cream or cheesecake.
• Pryaniki, a sweet cookie to signify wishes for a sweet new year.
• Sharlotka (Apple Cake)
• http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-
Africa/Russia.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Russia
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Russia
• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/russia/ru
land.htm
• http://www.investinrussia.biz/industry/agriculture/agriculture-
industry-russia
• http://masterrussian.com/russianculture/meals.htm