The Zakuska Table

To a Russian, dinner is unthinkable without zakuski, those imaginative “little bites” that make up the first course of a Russian meal.

The range of zakuski is almost infinite, from simple smoked sprats on black bread to the gray pearl of the Caspian, Beluga caviar; from sliced beet vinaigrette to foraged mushrooms drenched in spicy marinade. Salade Olivier (Russian Salad), savory stuffed eggs, shimmering pork brawn, tender kidneys in Madeira, eggplant caviar with its pungent tang — all these delights belong to the diversity of the zakuska spread.