Cabbage Soup

In Gogol’s Dead Souls the scoundrel Chichikov is invited to dine with the landowner Manilov. As they sit down to the table, Manilov says, “Excuse us for not serving a dinner like they would in the elegant salons of the capital. Here we simply have shchi, in the Russian tradition—but it’s straight from the heart. Please help yourself.”

Shchi is the most Russian of soups, and coupled with kasha, it represents basic Russian fare, straightforward in both preparation and spirit. R