Soviet cuisine

Soviet cuisine, a common cuisine of Soviet Union, was formed by integration of various national cuisines of USSR, in the course of formation of the Soviet people. It is characterized by a limited number of ingredients and simplified cooking. This type of cuisine was prevalent in canteens everywhere in USSR. It has penetrated the household cuisine and was used in parallel with national dishes, particularly in large cities.

It is still popular in former Soviet republics. In the West, the Soviet cuisine is frequently taken for Russian cuisine, though the national Russian cuisine is quite different.

An everyday Soviet full course dinner consisted of three or four courses, typically referred to as "the first" (i.e., the first course), "the second", "the third", and "the fourth". An optional salad was not "numbered". Of course, in a restaurant you could order anything you like, in any order, but in a typical canteen, especially in a worker's or student's canteen, you would normally have gotten what was called a "combined dinner" ("kompleksny obed" ): "the first",.. etc.

"The first" was a soup or broth, a "liquid" food. "The second" was some kind of "solid" food: meat/fish/poultry with some side foods (potatoes, kasha, etc.), eggs, bliny, etc. "The third" was something to drink: tea, coffee, kompot, milk, kefir, etc. "The fourth" was a dessert.

Typical dishes

The first

* Shchi (Russian)
* Borscht (Ukrainian)
* Any kind of Eastern European soup

The second

* Pelmeni (Russian)
* Vareniki (Ukrainian)
* Shashlik (Turkish/Georgian/Azeri)
* Cutlet and Sausage (International)
* Chicken Kiev - a filled chicken cutlet
* Plov (Uzbek) - rice dish

The third

* Kefir (Turkish)
* Compote (Slavic)
* Kisel (kisiel), (drinkable starch-based fruit jelly)

Dessert

* Pirozhki (Slavic)
* buns, biscuits, cookies

alads and extras

* "Olivie" or "Russky salad"—a mayonnaise-based potato salad distinguished by its diced texture and the contrasting flavors of pickles, capers, olives, hard-boiled eggs and peas. See Russian salad for history and discussion.
* "Vinegret" (from French vinaigrette)—red beet root salad with onions, pickled cucumbers, boiled potatoes, carrots, sunflower oil and vinegar, traditionally served with salted salmon. (Soviet).
* "Vitaminniy" ("Vitamin" salad)-a cabbage-based salad with seasonal vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, carrot, etc.

ee also

* Russian cuisine
* Ukrainian cuisine