• Largest country in the world (1.8x the USA)

• Part of Europe and Asia

• Contains 8 time zones

• 6.602 million square miles

• Major Cities:

• Moscow (capital)

• Surrounding Countries:

• China, Mongolia, Ukraine, Latvia, Belarus, Lithuania, Finland,

Norway. Estonia, Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,

and North Korea

• First used as a banner for Russian merchant ships and

became official as the flag of Russia in 1696

• Remained in use until 1917

• Re-introduced as the flag of the Russian in 1991

• Population: 143.5 million

• 160 different ethnic groups

and indigenous people

• Ethnic Groups:

• 80.90% Russian

• 3.87% Tatars

• 1.40% Ukrainians

• 1.15% Bashkirs

• 1.05% Chuvashs

• 1.04% Chechens

• 0.86% Armenians

• Religion:

• Orthodox Christianity: 75%

• Islam: 5%

• Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and Buddhism: 1%

• Language: Russian

• Currency: Russian ruble

• Large areas of plains and mountains

• Forests, tundra, swamps

• Plentiful game, mushrooms, berries, and nuts

• Water access - oceans, seas, & major

rivers

• Fish entrees play an important role

• Sturgeon is the favorite fish, from which black

caviar (fish eggs) is collected

• Bordered by MANY bodies of water:

• Arctic Ocean

• Black Sea

• Baltic Sea

• Pacific Ocean

• Cold climate with a short growing

season and little rainfall limit the

crops that are able to grow

• Grains (rye, barley, buckwheat, and

wheat), root vegetables (beets, turnips,

potatoes, onions), and cabbage

• People often rely on diets with many

complex carbohydrates to sustain

them through long, cold winters:

• Breads, porridge, beans, peas, winter

vegetables, and a variety of grains

• About three-fourths of the land is arable (able to be

farmed)

• Most important crops are mostly grains

• Occupies more than 50% of cultivable land area

• Dominant food crop is wheat which accounts for more than

70% of the total grain production in the country

• Second largest cultivated crop is barley

• Oats, potatoes, legumes are other major crops

• Potato cultivation is one of the most important food

crops of Russia. Potatoes are grown extensively in

Russia for consumption and for producing Vodka.

• Russians eat more fish than other cultures because, under the Russian Orthodox Church, many days of the year were fasting days and fish was the only meat allowed.

• At New Year's, Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), a character from folktale, may be seen at holiday events distributing pryaniki, a sweet cookie to signify wishes for a sweet new year.

• The Russian equivalent for

Mardi Gras happens

during Maslenitsa (Butter-

week)

• Week before Lent

• Bliny is a common dish

• Must be very thin, the thinner

the better

• Served with sweet or savory

filling or with butter, sour

cream, caviar, fresh fruit, or

smoked fish

• Easter: Pashka , a cold mixture of soft

cheese, butter, almonds, and currants, is

formed in a special mold shaped like a

pyramid with the top cut off to represent

the tomb of Jesus.

• Easter eggs are colored red to signify the

resurrection of Jesus. This is done by hard-

boiling eggs with red onion peel or beets.

• Roast pork is served for the main meal at

Easter.

• Nomadic tribes who inhabited the lands of Russia &

Eastern Europe frequently braised stews over an open

flame or grilled their food

• Popularity of both grilling and braising continues today

• Braising allows tough cuts of meat to become tender and

extends the small amount of meat into larger meals

• Russian homes used stoves for both heating homes and

cooking

• Early stoves contained a large oven but no burners

• Result: Braising and baking most prevalent methods

• Long winters require preserving summer's bounty

• Pickling fruits, vegetables, fish, sausage

• Cabbage = sauerkraut

• Apples, watermelon, & other fruits enter brines

• Preserve fruits into jellies, jams, and preserves

• Drying fruits and vegetables

• Traditional dishes include roasted meats, vegetables, soups, and stews. A staple of the Russian diet is dark, heavy bread.

• Russians eat four to six meals a day

• Breakfast

• Zavtrak or "morning coffee"

• Lunch, or obyed , is the main meal lasting from 12 noon until 1 p.m.

• Usually kasha, or baked buckwheat, is served at lunch

• Dinner, or uzhin , is another elaborate meal beginning at 6 p.m. and typically featuring several courses

• Breakfast is typically a large, hearty

meal

• Eggs, porridge, cheese and/or sausage,

accompanied by bread, butter, and jam is

common.

• Kasha - a type of porridge made from

different grains

• Butterbrots - a kind of sandwich made of

a single slice of bread and one topping

such as butter or ham

• Boiled or fried eggs

• Tvorog (similar to cottage cheese)

• Main meal eaten at midday

• Bliny (thin pancakes)

• Variety of savory and sweet pies filled with fish, cheese, jam,

cabbage, mushrooms, chopped hard-cooked eggs, or meat.

• Pierogi (large pies)

• Piroshki (small pies).

• The first course is often soup, although

soup may also be the entrée.

• Favorite soups include

• Borscht (beet soup traditionally served with

sour cream)

• Shchyee (cabbage soup)

• Andsolyanka (a tomato-based chowder)

• Bef Stroganov is a dish

of sautéed pieces of

beef served in a sauce

with smetana (sour

cream type product)

• Roast meat, with

potatoes and root

vegetables.

• Selodka, or herring with a vinegar and oil dressing, is

the best-known appetizer.

• Hot sweetened tea, called chai, is served frequently

• Kissel, a piece of stewed fruit thickened with cornstarch with milk poured over it, is a traditional dessert.

• Dessert may be ice cream or cheesecake.

• Pryaniki, a sweet cookie to signify wishes for a sweet new year.

• Sharlotka (Apple Cake)

• http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-

Africa/Russia.html

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Russia

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Russia

• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/russia/ru

land.htm

• http://www.investinrussia.biz/industry/agriculture/agriculture-

industry-russia

• http://masterrussian.com/russianculture/meals.htm