Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. It occupies a big part of dry land. The country is known as a Legend Empire, because it has been suffering from foreign invasion and dominance by outsiders from times immemorial, but still strong and alive.The country divided by Ural mountain range in two big parts is full of controversies. People who live close to Europe are not the same with Russians from the other side of the Ural. Russia is rich in such natural treasures as coal, oil, nickel, copper, natural gas and even diamonds. The oversize of the territory determines a big variety of climates: from arctic to subtropical one. In the centre of the country there is a temperate climate. One of the main sources of pride in Russia is unique nature from East to West. The country is rich in numerous lakes, rivers and woods.
Each country has its own traditions of cooking and national dishes. Russia is mainly a northern country with harsh winters, so food there is the source of energy and warmth. The essential components of Russian cuisine are bread and wheat products, vegetables, dairy produce, meat and fish. Russians usually have three meals a day: breakfast, dinner and supper. Breakfast is a quick meal, as the majority of people are in a hurry for work or school. It may contain a sandwich or two, an omelette, a cup of tea or coffee. Some people eat porridges or cornflakes in the morning. Dinner is a more sufficient meal. It is usually in the afternoon and may contain fresh salad, soup, main course and a glass of compote – stewed fruit drink. Typical Russian soups are shchi, solyanka, rassolnik, ukha. One of the people’s favourites in summer is okroshka – cold soup based on kvas or sour milk. Traditional Russian salads include Olivier and vinegret. Supper is served in the evening, when everybody comes home after work or studies. It is the second largest meal after dinner and it usually consists of the main course and dessert. Russians like meat and fish dishes, such as pelmeni, kotlety, shashlyk. Pelmeni are similar to dumplings with meat. Kotlety are like meatballs with spices. Shashlyk is a marinated meat grilled on a skewer. After nourishing dinner Russian people like to drink hot tea with jam or honey. Sometimes they cook blini or syrniki for the dessert. It is worth mentioning that Russians practice various techniques of preserving food, such as drying mushrooms and herbs, canning fruit and vegetables. Thus, in winter they can have a piece of summer goodies.
Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. It occupies a big part of dry land. The country is known as a Legend Empire, because it has been suffering from foreign invasion and dominance by outsiders from times immemorial, but still strong and alive.The country divided by Ural mountain range in two big parts is full of controversies. People who live close to Europe are not the same with Russians from the other side of the Ural. Russia is rich in such natural treasures as coal, oil, nickel, copper, natural gas and even diamonds. The oversize of the territory determines a big variety of climates: from arctic to subtropical one. In the centre of the country there is a temperate climate. One of the main sources of pride in Russia is unique nature from East to West. The country is rich in numerous lakes, rivers and woods.