“It seems that we live on the same planet, we should have similar tastes, however, Russian food seems tasteless to the Chinese. One sandwich with wild garlic is worth something. If you have to choose between this “delicacy” and a diet, I think few people will choose the first. Russians can also eat raw meat, and milk is added anywhere. Why do the Russians themselves arouse admiration among the Chinese, but their dishes do not?
The Englishman Blair told the Chinese TV channel which Russian products are the most tasteless. In the program “The World Speaks”, Blair said that during the three months of living in Russia he lost three kilograms due to the fact that Russian food tasted nasty. I note that the German team brought with them to the championship 18,000 liters of beer, 700 kilograms of sausage and 300 grams of potatoes. Were they afraid they would starve? If the team goes hungry in Russia, how can they play?
It seems that we live on the same planet, we should have similar tastes, however, Russian food seems tasteless to Chinese Internet users. One sandwich with wild garlic is worth something. If you have to choose between this “delicacy” and a diet, I think few people will choose the first. In general, restaurants of Russian cuisine in China have taken root only in the North-East, in other places Russian cuisine is not favored.
Why does everyone dislike Russian food so much? Why do the Russians themselves, a fighting nation, arouse admiration among the Chinese, while their dishes are inferior in popularity to European ones?
What do Russians eat?
Before criticizing the taste properties of Russian dishes, let’s figure out what they are. Potatoes, milk, bread, cheese and sausages are considered the main products in Russia, followed by onions, carrots, cabbage and beets, and vodka.
black bread and caviar complete the list. These are the most commonly eaten by Russians, and you will most likely find them on the menu of Russian cuisine restaurants in China. For example, in the menu of the Moscow restaurant in Beijing, which can be found on the Internet.
The dishes on the pictures on the menu look quite ordinary, why in reality they are not to anyone’s taste?
Probably, the whole point is in the method of preparation, to which the Chinese are not accustomed. Russian dishes are sour, sweet, salty, fatty and cold. Russians like sour food, so you can always find pickles and kvass in any Russian restaurant. The famous Russian black bread also tastes sour, and they like to add sour cream to their soups.
Let’s talk a little about sweets. Russians always add sugar or honey to tea. As for the salty, they just take the salt and dip the bread in it. It is worth noting that bread with salt is a common snack for vodka. Russians highly value bread and salt, for them it is a symbol of respect and hospitality. This is how they welcomed Xi Jinping.
Russians live at very low temperatures, which never ceases to amaze me, and besides, they constantly eat cold, even in winter. For lunch, mainly cold appetizers are served: red or black caviar, ham, salted fish, cheese. They also have the so-called bacon, which is put cold on a piece of bread. And then there are pork rinds that are eaten guess how? Cold.
Only true heroes can handle such a treat
In the cooking process, the ingredients are often mixed without adding spices. Sometimes in dishes they combine completely incongruous. Add a drink to food? Please! The traditional Russian drink kvass is used to make okroshka, where sour cream is also added. If you mix mayonnaise, beets, fish, potatoes, carrots, you get an amazing salad “herring under a fur coat.” There can be no other opinion about this culinary masterpiece, except for the bad.
Despite the fact that Russian dishes are not mixed with anything, they put very little spices there. Modern culinary art in Russia was originally closely related to Christian traditions, according to which food should not have a strong taste, as, for example, when adding Szechuan pepper, soy sauce or ginger in vinegar. That is why the Chinese, and especially the inhabitants of the Sichuan province, do not like Russian food because of its tastelessness.
Dishes based on geographic location and cultural characteristics
There is no point in denying that geographical location influences the dietary habits, culture, economy and politics of a country. The most direct influence is, of course, on the taste preferences of the people.
This influence manifests itself in two directions: firstly, which products are available to the population and which are not (you will not find tropical fruits in Russia, no matter how hard you try). In Russia, they eat little vegetables, the basis of the diet is meat and dairy products. Maybe that’s why fighting people can eat cold pork and add milk to everything?
Secondly, the taste characteristics of food adapt to natural conditions. For example, Russians prefer sour food because they live in a cold country where daylight hours are short, and therefore fruits grow sour. If we compare apples grown in Russia and China, the latter will be much sweeter.
If the climatic conditions of residence are similar, the taste habits are similar. So the inhabitants of Sichuan and Chongqing are very fond of spicy. Russia, on the other hand, is located both in Europe and in Asia, the culinary traditions of both parts of the world should have been combined in it, but Russian cuisine is still rather European.
Professor An analyzed 56,498 dishes from all over the world and found that in the West, milk, butter, vanilla, eggs, sugar and wheat can be the most favorite foods, while in the East soy sauce, onion, sesame oil are most often used. , rice, soy and ginger.
The tastes of Russians coincide with those of the West in regard to milk, eggs and wheat. This is justified by the fact that Russia’s relations with European countries have always been closer. As it turned out, most of the products were imported to Russia.
which is also due to climatic features. For example, fermentation products so beloved in Russia appeared here thanks to the nomadic Scythians and ancient Greeks; buckwheat, rice and spices were brought from the Byzantine Empire; mayonnaise, which is added to almost every salad, came from France.
Russian cuisine was formed with a combination of local and imported products; as always, it was not without Russian ingenuity.
