Russia

Russia is the largest country in the world; it is twice as large as the second largest country in the world, Canada. It spans 11 time zones. When traveling in Russia, you should know that it is important to know at least a little Russian, as that is the official language of the country. It would be useful to know some of the common courtesy phrases, and things like that. In the business centers and for many young people, English is sometimes spoken enough for understanding, but do not expect to be able to get by without learning any Russian.

In order to get into the country, you will need to get a Visa except for citizens of very few countries, like those on the Western boarder of the country. You also need an “invitation” or to show that you have booked and paid for your sleeping accommodations beforehand. You should keep your tourist Visa and passport with you at all times. This is due to the ID checks commonly done in major cities by police officials, who can keep you up to three hours for identification authentications. You will probably arrive by plane and while in the country, might use smaller airlines to travel around. You will find that Russia has an extensive railway network that expands across the country. It is usually reliable, and reached almost all cities and towns. It is pretty comfortable and generally safe. In order to pay for your expenses while in Russia, you will HAVE to use Rubles, they are the official currency of the country, and is generally the only tender accepted.

Russian Soups

Soups peculiar to Russia are very popular and are typically served in the afternoon. Amongst the most typical ingredients in traditional Russian soup recipes are cabbage, potatoes, and meat or fish. Russian soups have always played a significant role in the Russian meal. Tyurya, Oroshka, Botvinya, Solyanka, Rassolnik, Ukha and Shchi are some of the traditional staples of soups in Russia. During the 18th to 20th centuries by both European and Central Asian staples such as stews, pureed soups, clear soups and many others have been added to the Russian culinary repertoire.

Soups peculiar to Russia can be divided into at least seven large groups:
1. Soups that are based in grains and vegetables
2. Soups made up of fish such as ukha
3. Soups that are thick and are based on meat broth with a sour and salty base such as solyanka and rassolnik
4. Soups that are based on cabbage such as shchi
5. Noodle soups with milk, mushrooms and meat
6. Stews and light soups which are based on vegetables and water
7. Chilled soups which are based kvas, such botvinya, okrosha and tyurya

Chicken soup recipes are also popular in Russia and kurniy soup is a type of a delectable Russian chicken soup which is typically served along with rye bread. This particular type of chicken soup is prepared with vegetable broth and contains chicken meat as well as fresh herbs and vegetables.

Another Russian favorite when it comes to soup is Mushroom soup. This type of soup is made with fresh mushrooms. During the process of cooking, the water in which the mushrooms are cooked is replaced many times. Okrosha is a delicious chilled soup which is great to eat when the weather is hot. It is garnished with sour cream and dill and is typically prepared from several types of meat or sausage.

Perhaps the most popular soup from the Soviet is Borscht, which comes in a bright red color. It is composed of dill, carrots, cabbage, garlic, onion, potatoes, beets and more. While this particular Russian soup may not be appetizing in particular, it can have an amazing flavor.

Russian Drinks

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