Russian-Style Cabbage Soup

Most of what I’ve learned about Russian cooking has come from the writings of 19th-century French chefs who cooked for the czar. At that time the Russians and French went through a period of mutual admiration; traditional Russian dishes were refined by French cooks and sometimes even exported back to France. Needless to say, my reading taught me little of how the Russian people ate or eat day to day.

I’ve since been able to read about Russian cooking from more firsthand (and modern)