According to Galia, if you pick pinecones while they are still green and soft, you can boil them in a sugar solution and then preserve them.
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Friday, December 16, 2011
Adventures in Russian food #9
While in Kazan, I got the opportunity to try something truly unusual. Pinecone jelly.
According to Galia, if you pick pinecones while they are still green and soft, you can boil them in a sugar solution and then preserve them.
They taste pretty much as you'd expect: pine-y, mildly sweet. The texture is similar to undercooked bamboo or ginger, it's pretty woody and fibrous. The interesting thing about it is that there is still resin in the cone and when you eat it, if feels as if it coats the inside of your mouth. It's somewhat astringent feeling and your mouth feels tacky for some time afterward.
According to Galia, if you pick pinecones while they are still green and soft, you can boil them in a sugar solution and then preserve them.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Adventures in Russian Food #8
STREET MEAT EDITION
Sorry CIEE, but I ate a lot of street meat while in Volgograd. I'm not going to specify exactly how much, but enough to significantly increase the chances of getting food poisoning.
Street Meat #1- Котлет по-Киевски
Chicken Kiev. 25-30 rubles
Just like Shaverma in St. Petersburg, there were kiosks and stands everywhere in Volgograd. You could probably manage to find one on every corner, literally.
Chicken Kiev in this context is a little chunk of chicken, wrapped around either cheese and mushrooms, or just straight up butter. In both varieties, there is a significant amount of butter added.
These guys have a pretty delightful texture. You bite in, and it crunches and squirts much like you'd imagine a gigantic beetle to. They serve them in plastic bags partly because it's impossible to eat one without liquid butter getting everywhere.
Street Meat #2- Хачапури
Khachapuri. 30-50 rubles
This is apparently a Georgian dish and is basically deep fried bread with an assortment of fillings. I only had one, and it was stuffed with a feta-like cheese. It tastes pretty much like you'd expect, but delicious nonetheless.
Sorry CIEE, but I ate a lot of street meat while in Volgograd. I'm not going to specify exactly how much, but enough to significantly increase the chances of getting food poisoning.
Street Meat #1- Котлет по-Киевски
Chicken Kiev. 25-30 rubles
Chicken Kiev in this context is a little chunk of chicken, wrapped around either cheese and mushrooms, or just straight up butter. In both varieties, there is a significant amount of butter added.
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| Money shot |
Street Meat #2- Хачапури
Khachapuri. 30-50 rubles
This is apparently a Georgian dish and is basically deep fried bread with an assortment of fillings. I only had one, and it was stuffed with a feta-like cheese. It tastes pretty much like you'd expect, but delicious nonetheless.
Adventures in Russian Food #7
Ok, I SWEAR this will be my last pop blog. It's just that I find new pops and sodas really interesting, mostly because unless you go for that BigK stuff (carbonated fruit flavor), America really only has like 4 flavors of soda: Cola, Citrus, Dr. Pepper, and Root Beer. It's interesting to see what other countries find delicious. Alright, pop time! (Haven't done this in a while, grab a snickers)
Pop #1 Брусника
Or Brucnika. According to googletranslate, this means cowberry, bilberry, huckleberry, or whortleberry. Overall, REALLY tasty. This drink is also 'with grass', but specifically, grass from the TAIGA so it's probably pretty special. Because of the grass, it tastes a little medicinal, but pleasant. These fruity drinks are also half-carbonated. Unlike the pepsi's and coke's which produce really large bubbles on the tongue and foam up a lot when you pour them, this drink produces lots of little itty-bitty bubbles not unlike champagne. Really enjoyable. The bottle was darker, so I just had to imagine what an enjoyable, deep, succulent red color the pop was.
Until I poured it onto a spoon and realized it was coffee colored. Oh well.
Pop #2 Cream Soda
Long story short- Like American Cream Soda, but not. A little sweeter, not enough of the 'cream soda' flavor. Just a little disappointing.
Pop #3 Колокольчик
Or Kolokolchik. See those flowers? Those are Kolokolchiki. It really means 'little bell' which I guess makes sense. When I bought this, I thought it would be some delicious, flower flavored pop. Nope. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you: Soviet Sprite. Yes indeed, this is Lemon-lime soda and that's it. It tastes exactly like Sprite, but perhaps a little more syrupy.
Pop #4 Байкал
Or Baikal, which for those who don't know, this is the name of the worlds largest, deepest lake located in Asian Russia. This is one of the classic Soviet-era sodas, which until I looked at the ingredients, had no idea what it could possibly be. It's dark brown, so I was thinking something like root beer. Nope. It's flavored with tea concentrate. That being said, I don't think it tastes like carbonated sweet tea. It difficult to describe, but it's sweet and has an interesting flavor. I like it.
Pop #5 Лаймон Фреш
Or Laimon Fresh. This is Sprite + Mint, or virgin Mojito. This is by far my favorite pop I've had so far. I was skeptical at first because, why would you want a mojito without the booze? It is yummy. It's refreshing and not overly sweet.
Pop #6 Абрикос
Or Apricot. I was SOOO excited when I bought this (in Volgograd) because I had never seen apricot soda before and it was a really cool bottle. Unfortunately it tasted like junk and I didn't even finish it. Next to the bottle on the shelf was peach soda and I thought I had purchased that, but instead accidentally grabbed the pear soda. It was the worst pear soda I've ever had. Not enough syrup, not enough pear. I didn't even take a picture of it. Ugh.
Bonus Round-McCafe
McDonald's coffee in Russia is legit. This is a 'coffee with milk', how it differs from a cappucino I'll never know. It's cheap, it's tasty, and it's well worth the purchase. McDonald's here actually has baristas, not someone with ambiguous gang affiliation, pulling your drink. And it's from an actual espresso machine that takes talent to run, not the ones in America where you ask for 'lightener' in your coffee and the person bops a couple buttons. Delicious.
P.S. There's a good chance I'm going to move on to junk food now, like chips and stuff. Also, if I find another yummy soda, I'm probably going to write about that as well.
Pop #1 Брусника
Or Brucnika. According to googletranslate, this means cowberry, bilberry, huckleberry, or whortleberry. Overall, REALLY tasty. This drink is also 'with grass', but specifically, grass from the TAIGA so it's probably pretty special. Because of the grass, it tastes a little medicinal, but pleasant. These fruity drinks are also half-carbonated. Unlike the pepsi's and coke's which produce really large bubbles on the tongue and foam up a lot when you pour them, this drink produces lots of little itty-bitty bubbles not unlike champagne. Really enjoyable. The bottle was darker, so I just had to imagine what an enjoyable, deep, succulent red color the pop was.
Long story short- Like American Cream Soda, but not. A little sweeter, not enough of the 'cream soda' flavor. Just a little disappointing.
Pop #3 Колокольчик
Or Kolokolchik. See those flowers? Those are Kolokolchiki. It really means 'little bell' which I guess makes sense. When I bought this, I thought it would be some delicious, flower flavored pop. Nope. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you: Soviet Sprite. Yes indeed, this is Lemon-lime soda and that's it. It tastes exactly like Sprite, but perhaps a little more syrupy.
Pop #4 Байкал
Or Baikal, which for those who don't know, this is the name of the worlds largest, deepest lake located in Asian Russia. This is one of the classic Soviet-era sodas, which until I looked at the ingredients, had no idea what it could possibly be. It's dark brown, so I was thinking something like root beer. Nope. It's flavored with tea concentrate. That being said, I don't think it tastes like carbonated sweet tea. It difficult to describe, but it's sweet and has an interesting flavor. I like it.
Pop #5 Лаймон Фреш
Or Laimon Fresh. This is Sprite + Mint, or virgin Mojito. This is by far my favorite pop I've had so far. I was skeptical at first because, why would you want a mojito without the booze? It is yummy. It's refreshing and not overly sweet.
Or Apricot. I was SOOO excited when I bought this (in Volgograd) because I had never seen apricot soda before and it was a really cool bottle. Unfortunately it tasted like junk and I didn't even finish it. Next to the bottle on the shelf was peach soda and I thought I had purchased that, but instead accidentally grabbed the pear soda. It was the worst pear soda I've ever had. Not enough syrup, not enough pear. I didn't even take a picture of it. Ugh.
McDonald's coffee in Russia is legit. This is a 'coffee with milk', how it differs from a cappucino I'll never know. It's cheap, it's tasty, and it's well worth the purchase. McDonald's here actually has baristas, not someone with ambiguous gang affiliation, pulling your drink. And it's from an actual espresso machine that takes talent to run, not the ones in America where you ask for 'lightener' in your coffee and the person bops a couple buttons. Delicious.
P.S. There's a good chance I'm going to move on to junk food now, like chips and stuff. Also, if I find another yummy soda, I'm probably going to write about that as well.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Adventures in Russian Food #6
Quick update:
Interesting things I have ingested in the last week:
Homemade chicken liver pâté- Delicious. I knew I love this stuff on Bahn Mi, but man is it good just on crackers or bread. It's chicken liver with veggies ground into a paste.
Stewed Eggplant Stuff- My host mother didn't give me a name for this but I probably came close. It's eggplant, peppers, tomato, garlic, onion, carrots, cabbage, lots of salt, and probably some other stuff too. It's fo-realz tasty. If anyone has a name for this, do tell.
Tvorog- I had my first Tvorog experience this morning for breakfast. Tvorog (творог for you purists out there) is translated as farmers cheese, but I'm not sure that does it justice. For me, it was a slightly sour, sweet yogurt-like product with the texture half way between cream cheese and a greek yogurt. It ran like yogurt, but held form when moved with a spoon. Very interesting stuff. My host my mixed it with vat-jelly and it was just fantastic. I think the stuff I had this morning was around 11% fat, so it should stick with me for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tvorog for more info.
Калина - My host mom had a small bucket of red juice with pulp sitting on the counter. As I was finishing breakfast, she asked if I wanted to try so naturally, I said yes. She told me that it was mushed up Калина and that it was very bitter. She dipped a spoon in and gave me a spoonful. Yes, it's bitter. In fact, probably as misleadingly bitter as bakers chocolate. Such a lovely red juice should not be that bitter. As it turns out, my host dad makes medicine out of it. This is what wikipedia says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum.
It's apparently a laxative and seeing how I haven't exploded, I'm guessing a spoonful is not enough to be effective. Again, If anyone knows what these guys are, please tell me. I'd rather not think of them as 'mooseberries'.
Interesting things I have ingested in the last week:
Homemade chicken liver pâté- Delicious. I knew I love this stuff on Bahn Mi, but man is it good just on crackers or bread. It's chicken liver with veggies ground into a paste.
Stewed Eggplant Stuff- My host mother didn't give me a name for this but I probably came close. It's eggplant, peppers, tomato, garlic, onion, carrots, cabbage, lots of salt, and probably some other stuff too. It's fo-realz tasty. If anyone has a name for this, do tell.
Tvorog- I had my first Tvorog experience this morning for breakfast. Tvorog (творог for you purists out there) is translated as farmers cheese, but I'm not sure that does it justice. For me, it was a slightly sour, sweet yogurt-like product with the texture half way between cream cheese and a greek yogurt. It ran like yogurt, but held form when moved with a spoon. Very interesting stuff. My host my mixed it with vat-jelly and it was just fantastic. I think the stuff I had this morning was around 11% fat, so it should stick with me for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tvorog for more info.
Калина - My host mom had a small bucket of red juice with pulp sitting on the counter. As I was finishing breakfast, she asked if I wanted to try so naturally, I said yes. She told me that it was mushed up Калина and that it was very bitter. She dipped a spoon in and gave me a spoonful. Yes, it's bitter. In fact, probably as misleadingly bitter as bakers chocolate. Such a lovely red juice should not be that bitter. As it turns out, my host dad makes medicine out of it. This is what wikipedia says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum.
It's apparently a laxative and seeing how I haven't exploded, I'm guessing a spoonful is not enough to be effective. Again, If anyone knows what these guys are, please tell me. I'd rather not think of them as 'mooseberries'.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Adventures in Russian Food #5
Eel, Pumpkin, Vat jelly and Pop
So in the past couple days, I have had some pretty interesting stuff to eat. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures, because how awkward is that?? "Lemme just take some pictures of the food you just made me real quick, then I'll eat"
Pumpkin Soup- Entering the kitchen and seeing a pot of slightly orange goop would concern me in America, but this is Russia, and who knows what to expect? Anyway, I initially thought it'd be something like cheesy mash or something because it was kinda the consistency of Russian mashed potatoes (think soupy instant potatoes). I tried it and it was definitely not, and I couldn't pinpoint the taste. It was completely foreign, or so I thought. My babushka and host sister just kept saying тыква тыква тыква, and I had no idea what that was. Finally my host sister spits out 'Halloween'. Problem solved.
Eel- "Do you want sosiski or cutlety?" "Well, I haven't had cutlety yet, so Why not??" One bite, tasted like fish, REALLY fatty, thoroughly confused. "Like a fish and a snake"--And that's how I learned the word for Eel - угорь and according to google translate, also 'blackhead'. Lovely
Vat Jelly- Pretty self explanatory. There is a 2 gallon bucket on the kitchen floor filled with cranberry pulp/juice and sugar. It's thick, like grainy syrup. It's in my morning kasha and on a cheese sandwich a couple times a week. It's tasty. It'll probably give me botulism or an amazing case of the squirts.
Pop- The last two weeks have been busy in terms of impulsive beverage purchasing. Исинди, Лукошко, Барбарис, Саяны.
Исинди-Isindi
If anyone knows what this is, or anything about it, let me know. I have no idea.
Taste- Kinda like how the Seward Coop smells mixed with an herbal medicine shop. And just like it takes a couple trips to the Seward coop to get used to the hairy women and pretentious cereals, It takes a couple sips to appreciate the taste. I'd get it again.
Лукошко-Lukoshko
With BERRIES AND GRASS (or something along those lines. This one was interesting. It tasted like berries but it was also somewhat medicinal. Probably the grass.
Cаяны -Cayany
This was disgusting. It was sweet, but it just tasted off. I have no idea what it was. It was partially carbonated and super syrupy. It's probably the first drink I've had here that I didn't like.
Барбарис- Barbaris
Berberry flavor. It was good. Your basic fruit soda. Yum
So in the past couple days, I have had some pretty interesting stuff to eat. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures, because how awkward is that?? "Lemme just take some pictures of the food you just made me real quick, then I'll eat"
Pumpkin Soup- Entering the kitchen and seeing a pot of slightly orange goop would concern me in America, but this is Russia, and who knows what to expect? Anyway, I initially thought it'd be something like cheesy mash or something because it was kinda the consistency of Russian mashed potatoes (think soupy instant potatoes). I tried it and it was definitely not, and I couldn't pinpoint the taste. It was completely foreign, or so I thought. My babushka and host sister just kept saying тыква тыква тыква, and I had no idea what that was. Finally my host sister spits out 'Halloween'. Problem solved.
Eel- "Do you want sosiski or cutlety?" "Well, I haven't had cutlety yet, so Why not??" One bite, tasted like fish, REALLY fatty, thoroughly confused. "Like a fish and a snake"--And that's how I learned the word for Eel - угорь and according to google translate, also 'blackhead'. Lovely
Vat Jelly- Pretty self explanatory. There is a 2 gallon bucket on the kitchen floor filled with cranberry pulp/juice and sugar. It's thick, like grainy syrup. It's in my morning kasha and on a cheese sandwich a couple times a week. It's tasty. It'll probably give me botulism or an amazing case of the squirts.
Pop- The last two weeks have been busy in terms of impulsive beverage purchasing. Исинди, Лукошко, Барбарис, Саяны.
If anyone knows what this is, or anything about it, let me know. I have no idea.
Taste- Kinda like how the Seward Coop smells mixed with an herbal medicine shop. And just like it takes a couple trips to the Seward coop to get used to the hairy women and pretentious cereals, It takes a couple sips to appreciate the taste. I'd get it again.
With BERRIES AND GRASS (or something along those lines. This one was interesting. It tasted like berries but it was also somewhat medicinal. Probably the grass.
This was disgusting. It was sweet, but it just tasted off. I have no idea what it was. It was partially carbonated and super syrupy. It's probably the first drink I've had here that I didn't like.
Berberry flavor. It was good. Your basic fruit soda. Yum
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Adventures in Russian Food #4
I noticed today that the foods I have planned to write about are mostly junk foods/pops purchased from any number of stores and not really representative of I've actually been eating since being here. So here goes:
-Breakfast: Usually a 100gr yogurt cup, kasha, a sandwich or two, and tea. Sometimes I get a syrok for breakfast, which is a fantastic start for the day. Occasionally the 'main' breakfast dish will change. Sometimes it's ramen, mashed potatoes, or oladi (pancakes).
-Lunch: Breakfast is huge, and I mean huge. I usually don't do lunch and if I do, it's yogurt from a produkty nearby or coffee.
-Dinner foods: 95% of the time, I have soup and salad for dinner with the ubiquitous buderbrod (open faced sandwich) and tea. Occasionally there are pelmeni, and occasionally I have potatoes with either chicken or sosiski (hotdogs, but not gross). Sometimes kasha as well. The salad is onion, garlic, tomato, and sometimes red peppers tossed with sunflower oil and salt. After you eat the veggies you tear up some bread to soak up the delicious sauce left at the bottom.
Rundown on what everything is:
~Kasha- it's porridge and can be made from any grain/cereal, but the end-all-be-all is buckwheat. I usually get oat kasha which isn't bad; just like oatmeal.
~Oladi (Оладьи)- Small pancakes which doesn't seem to be made with leavening. They aren't puffy, but they are soft and my host mom is REALLY good at making them. Smear with preserves and enjoy.
~Yogurt- Russians know dairy. Like everything I've had here is just about a billion times better than in the States (assuming you purchase the right kind of milk). WisconSIN doesn't know shit! Anyway, my favorite yogurt is a semi-drinkable variety with melon and mango.
~Schi- Cabbage soup with meat, veggies, and barley. There is another variety called Sour Schi, and it's made with sauerkraut. I like both.
~Rassol'nik- Also sometimes called Pickle Soup. Why? It's made with pickles and pickle juice. There's other stuff in it, but for me the taste of the pickle stuff is the primary flavor. Strangely enough, I like this soup a lot too.
~Pemeni- Meat dumplings. My host mom serves them in a broth and with sour cream. These are probably my favorite things to eat. There is always room for one more, they are just that delicious.
~Sosiska (Сосиска)- Essentially a hot dog, except maybe saltier and always boiled, never grilled. By the way, 'hot dogs' (хот-дог) are the gross things sold in street carts, according to my host mom, and taste nothing like sosiski.
Things I have not eaten that I wish to (and am somewhat disappointed I have not already)
~Okroshka with kvas
~Borsht
~Anything else with beets
~Kholodets (I have expressed interest in this to host mom so, fingers crossed!)
~Shuboy (herring in a fur coat)
~McDonalds
~Bear -There is a restaurant that serves it somewhere.
~Sushi
Stay Tuned for more Russian Soda!!
-Breakfast: Usually a 100gr yogurt cup, kasha, a sandwich or two, and tea. Sometimes I get a syrok for breakfast, which is a fantastic start for the day. Occasionally the 'main' breakfast dish will change. Sometimes it's ramen, mashed potatoes, or oladi (pancakes).
-Lunch: Breakfast is huge, and I mean huge. I usually don't do lunch and if I do, it's yogurt from a produkty nearby or coffee.
-Dinner foods: 95% of the time, I have soup and salad for dinner with the ubiquitous buderbrod (open faced sandwich) and tea. Occasionally there are pelmeni, and occasionally I have potatoes with either chicken or sosiski (hotdogs, but not gross). Sometimes kasha as well. The salad is onion, garlic, tomato, and sometimes red peppers tossed with sunflower oil and salt. After you eat the veggies you tear up some bread to soak up the delicious sauce left at the bottom.
Rundown on what everything is:
~Kasha- it's porridge and can be made from any grain/cereal, but the end-all-be-all is buckwheat. I usually get oat kasha which isn't bad; just like oatmeal.
~Oladi (Оладьи)- Small pancakes which doesn't seem to be made with leavening. They aren't puffy, but they are soft and my host mom is REALLY good at making them. Smear with preserves and enjoy.
~Yogurt- Russians know dairy. Like everything I've had here is just about a billion times better than in the States (assuming you purchase the right kind of milk). WisconSIN doesn't know shit! Anyway, my favorite yogurt is a semi-drinkable variety with melon and mango.
~Schi- Cabbage soup with meat, veggies, and barley. There is another variety called Sour Schi, and it's made with sauerkraut. I like both.
~Rassol'nik- Also sometimes called Pickle Soup. Why? It's made with pickles and pickle juice. There's other stuff in it, but for me the taste of the pickle stuff is the primary flavor. Strangely enough, I like this soup a lot too.
~Pemeni- Meat dumplings. My host mom serves them in a broth and with sour cream. These are probably my favorite things to eat. There is always room for one more, they are just that delicious.
~Sosiska (Сосиска)- Essentially a hot dog, except maybe saltier and always boiled, never grilled. By the way, 'hot dogs' (хот-дог) are the gross things sold in street carts, according to my host mom, and taste nothing like sosiski.
Things I have not eaten that I wish to (and am somewhat disappointed I have not already)
~Okroshka with kvas
~Borsht
~Anything else with beets
~Kholodets (I have expressed interest in this to host mom so, fingers crossed!)
~Shuboy (herring in a fur coat)
~McDonalds
~Bear -There is a restaurant that serves it somewhere.
~Sushi
Stay Tuned for more Russian Soda!!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Adventures in Russian Food #2
Сырок (syrok) is a type of curd snack that is commonly found in pretty
much any store which sells food in Russia. It tastes kinda like
cheesecake, but possibly a milder flavor. They come in multiple flavors
(like vanilla, chocolate, raspberry...), with biscuit or without, and
are covered in chocolate.
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| Vanilla Flavor |
I'm not gonna lie these things are the most delicious things on the planet. Like gastronomical rapture. My best days start out with one of these guys. I know, cheesecake for breakfast. Kinda weird, definitely a little #eatingmyfeelings but my host mom seems to think it's normal to consume these so early. I'm not going to argue.
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| Click for Full Effect |
Сырок is better than Lobster Shack. Just sayin'
PS- I definitely found a recipe for these. It's gonna be dangerous.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Adventures in Russian Food #1
Ok, so this isn't really food, but it's tasty stuff and that counts right?
The other day I was in a grocery store of sorts and I came across some interesting looking sodas. Only costing about 75 cents each, I decided to try.
This one is flavored like Груша or pear. I had a pear soda last year so I knew it would be good. And it was. Definitely getting this again.
This one I purchased without knowing exactly what Тархун meant. This was something I didn't remember seeing in Kazan, but the color was so enticing; I couldn't resist. As it turns out, via google translate, Тархун means 'Estragon', which is the French word for Tarragon. This is tarragon flavored soda. It tastes interesting, but I can't really describe it as I don't know what tarragon tastes like in non-soda form. I might get it again.
The other day I was in a grocery store of sorts and I came across some interesting looking sodas. Only costing about 75 cents each, I decided to try.
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