New Year brings with it a time to celebrate and enjoy good food, good drink and a memorable evening with your Russian lady.
In Russia, as in many parts of the world, key celebrations such as New Year are marked by many traditions and favourite pastimes. Food takes centre stage and so you should make sure you have a few key traditional dishes on standby if you’re celebrating the New Year with your Russian lady.
It’s probably fair to say that you may have to find a traditional Russian restaurant to get some of the dishes, or just hit the supermarket with a long list of ingredients.
So, here are some of the most important New Year dishes on the dinner table of your Russian lady.
Tangerines
Okay, before we get to the more interesting dishes on this list, if your new year table does not include some tangerines you could be missing a trick. For all of the exciting and often elaborate food choices that your Russian lady will be used to seeing, tangerines are probably the simplest.
Herring
A fish dish is always likely to be popular for your Russian lady and this new year special includes herring. Sometimes called ‘herring under fur’, the fillet of fish is topped with boiled vegetables including beetroots which give it a distinctive colour. On top of this will be a layer of sliced green apples.
Olivier
Olivier is a salad and is a pretty popular one at that. Consisting of finely chopped boiled eggs, sausages and some marinated cucumbers, it also boasts a garnish of mayonnaise. An Olivier is pretty famous and you won’t find a Russian dinner table without it come New Year’s Eve.
Pies
Something that may be a little easier to come by, or bake, and will still be as popular with your Russian lady is some pies. Fillings include fish, chicken or some other sort of meat, but basically, you’re free to add whatever you want. When baked for festive occasions like new year, the pies will often be made from recipes handed down from generation to generation.
Champagne
Another simple one to organise for your Russian lady, champagne is also incredibly popular on New Year’s Eve in Russia as it is in the rest of the world. If you can serve it alongside some of the foods on this list, the new year could be a very memorable one!