It is called голубцы (goluptse) - one of my favorite Russian dish. It is made up of cabbage with ground meat and rice as kind of filling. I don't really know how it is made but I think it's kinda poached. It is ususlly served with a sour cream, greens and carrots on the side.
This green garnishing is called "okrop". Dill in English. I'm not an expert to speak about this but as I know, it's some kind of herb. Many foreigners actually don't like when it's added on food especially in soup. They say it spoils the delicious taste of Russian food. I must admit that I used to be one of those who hated it. I'd scoop it out of my soup or at times, I simply won't eat my soup. But recently, I think starting late 2014, I started eating my my food with okrop. I didn't mind it being there. I noticed that it gives some kind of a fresh taste on the the food. I still won't be begging for it but now, I can eat soup or something else with it.
The next dish is more primitive. Meatballs and mashed potato with tomato sauce. I like it too but not my favorite.
Triogolnik in Russian language. I call it tricon. It's Tatar food in fact. I mentioned to you before that the city I'm living in is in the Republic of Tatarstan (one of the many republics in the Russian Federation). Eshpeshmak is the local name of this baked good. It has ground beef, potato and onion inside. I like it more when it's juicy. Just before serving they insert a bit of beef broth so the filling isn't dry.
For all these, we only paid 246 Rubles which is equivalent to $4.25. It's cheap for a good healthy dining.
The place wasn't the most classy. It wasn't a restaurant. In Russia, they only call an eating place a restaurant when you pay for about a hundred dollars for a person's meal. Unlike in McDonald's when the staff welcomes you with a phrase "Welcome to McDonald's restaurant".
So the place we ate is called cafeteria where usually local food served is cooked by local women known for their best cooking.
I have no problem with that...as long as the place is clean and the food is good. In this case, it was more than just worth it. Burp! :)
Hello Mari!:) I'm a bit of a foody, and really enjoy my food. These dishes look good, as plain simple food well cooked usually is. I couldn't eat much today as I had a tooth removed, and it was a very painful procedure, and for the next few days I'll be having smoothies, or just soup. By the way we have similar places where the food is home cooked and inexspensive here in Portugal, which are called Tascos.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards.
YuM!!! i love stuffed cabbage, if you google it, lot's of recipes will come up!! i love meatballs but with spaghetti!!!
ReplyDelete'eating place' instead of restaurant. interesting. :) all of these foods looked good to me. i love meatballs and i love mashed potatoes. the stuffed cabbage would be delicious! and i like dill, too.
ReplyDeleteHey! I can access this blog, too! Woo HOO!
ReplyDeleteThe Russian foods you show are very similar to some of the Polish foods I cook. (I'm not Polish, but my husband's of Polish heritage.) Cabbage stuffed with ground beef and rice in a tomato-based sauce is one of my favorites. We call them golabki. They make great comfort food when served with mashed potatoes.
It all looks good. Thanks for sharing some of your favorite Russian foods.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Susan. As I looked at your goluptse I immediately thought of golabki (cabbage rolls). I lived in a predominately Polish neighborhood when I lived in the city and the foods you show are similar. What a feast we could have.
ReplyDeleteit looks delicious. the hubby & i enjoy trying new dishes to us when we travel to new restaurants & on our camping trips. so fun!! i am happy you shared. i love new and changes in my meals. you have a great weekend. ( :
ReplyDeleteIt all sounds yummy! And I love dill, especially on new baby potatoes. And in these dill-onion muffins that I make sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThat all looks so delicious and thanks for your explanations. We had a Russian restaurant in my little town for about a year and I loved going there and trying new things. They even had Russian music! I was sad when they closed.
ReplyDeleteI would have enjoyed all of these, especially the last one in the pastry. And what a price! I like the idea that the food is cooking by local ladies.
ReplyDeleteThought I'd visit you, here, at your new blog! Very tasty dishes made by ladies who enjoy cooking - you can actually taste the talent!
ReplyDeleteVery appetizing photos!
Poppy
That stuffed cabbage looks really tasty! There is a similar dish in Greek cooking that is served with plain yogurt or topped with avgolemono (egg lemon) sauce. And I love dill. I use it from time to time. Adds a wonderful flavour and it smells so good.
ReplyDeleteMy theory is that good cooking doesn't have to come with fancy tablecloths and candles. It just has to be good -- and if it can be inexpensive too, all the better. The tricon looks delicious. And I'm a huge fan of dill and grow it in the summer!
ReplyDeleteThis was such fun post. I enjoyed learning Russian and Tatar food! Only food I knew around Russia is pirozhki (and I love it!) Would love to try dishes you showed us at cafeteria there. I guess okrop may be something you acquire taste over time? I don't know if I will like it, but still want to try food with it :-)
ReplyDeleteI love this post! The neighbouring countries, Russia and Sweden, have greatly influenced our Finnish cooking, and these dishes look very familiar. We are simple people and enjoy simple things: we love new baby potatoes with some butter and fresh dill. Dill is best when used fresh. There's a dish, cooked veal in dill sauce, that everybody ate at school... and hated. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing & Have a great week ahead!
Those dishes all look very good. Good hearty food to fill you up and keep you warm on a cold day. :-)
ReplyDelete