Introduction

The origins of Russian cookery are obscure, and we get none of the fine century-old traditions such as exist in France, Italy and Spain. It was probably during the reign of Catherine II, when rapid progress in civilization took place in Russia, and when many of the refinements of the more advanced European countries were introduced by an Empress who patronised Diderot and read the works of Montesquieu, that foreign cookery first made its appearance in Russia. Many dishes which are easily recognizable as being originally either French, Italian or Polish have, in the course of time, become characteristically Russian and are interpreted in an entirely different way. The same ingenuity which transformed the Italian ballet into that unique and incomparable thing, the Russian ballet, turned the cookery of other countries into typical Russian cookery. We get the same bizarre note in their cooking as in their national dances and their ballets—something unusual and exotic. Their cookery is full of violent contrasts and discords, and yet it is pleasing and attractive when we get to know it. From the gastronomic point of view, the excessive use of smetana or sour cream is perhaps exaggerated and is apt to impart the same flavour to all dishes. But it is a pleasant flavour and certainly improves their soups. Just as we have milk and butter in our larders, so the Russians have their small or large pails of smetana, which is ready when required. Extensive use is also made of pickled beetroot, pickled cucumbers and dry mushrooms and their favourite flavouring herb is dill, once very popular in England and grown in every herb garden but rarely cultivated now.