The Moscow Menu

If you’re heading to Russia this year with cheap flights to Moscow, you’ll surely like to savor the Russian food. Although Americans are very familiar with cuisines like Italian and Japanese, Russian food is often considered a mystery. The one dish that many Americans are familiar with is borscht, the red beet soup that actually originated in Ukraine. Of course, you’ll see plenty of familiar American chains in Moscow like Baskin Robbins, TGI Friday’s and McDonald’s, but it will be much more of a memorable experience if you make the effort to sample some local cuisine. Check out cheap tickets to Moscow and book last minute flights now to get to Russia before winter sets in and try some tasty Russian treats.

Two staples of Russian meals are bread and soup. Almost any complete meal you enjoy will come with some type of bread, usually a dense rye bread, and a heavy soup. Cabbage soup and borscht are popular, plus lighter chilled soups in the summer. Like in the rest of Europe, pastries and cakes are incredibly popular so be sure to sample some of these tasty snacks. Bliny, Russian pancakes, are everywhere, often stuffed with sweet or savory fillings. They are popular for breakfast along with buckwheat porridge and cheeses or sour cream. One treasured Russian tradition are zakuski, or small dishes of appetizers. At formal Russian dinners, you’ll get a table full of these small plates before the main dishes arrive. Some examples of zakuski are salted fish like herring, cold meats, small salads, and caviar with hard-boiled eggs. Much of the world’s caviar comes from Russia and it can range from affordable to unbelievably expensive. Wealthy gourmands from all over the world get flights to Moscow on weekends to eat at pricy caviar houses. A dish of the most expensive type, black caviar from the beluga sturgeon, could rival the airline prices of your cheap tickets to Moscow.

Most main dishes in Russia are beef or fish, accompanied by potatoes or sliced tomatoes. You can find plenty of fish, including salmon, sturgeon and cod. Typical Russian flavors tend to lean toward salty, pickled, and sweet or sour. Cabbage and pickled vegetables are very common, with condiments like vinegar, garlic, herbs and sour cream. Besides Russian flavors, Moscow is a great flight deals destination to explore other ethnic cuisines. All kinds of Asian dishes are popular here, and you can also try little-known cuisine from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. As a word of caution, eating out in Moscow is very, very expensive. You might want to check out food court options and eating at street stalls, which are far cheaper and can still be quite good. Take advantage of airline discount prices on flights to Moscow and indulge in Russian culinary delights.