Russia Travel Guide: Nice to Know About Russia
Traveling to Russia may not be commonplace and in fact may sound formidable; first because of the vastness of the country and second, because of the uncertainty about what exactly lies ahead. It can be because Russia seems like an inhospitable country, partly due to its tumultuous past. However, Russia is slowly getting back up on its feet after the establishment of the Russian Federation in 1991. While the remnants of past regimes and its strict and distinct political and social structures can still be felt and seen, Russia is learning to adjust to a more modern and commercial and industrial system and has opened its doors to the outside world, welcoming foreigners to take a look at the natural beauty of the country and its ancient large structures that are testaments to its past glory as a world power.
It seems unfair not to include the whole country in this section of our Travel Guide Russia, as the country itself is full of interesting facts. And then you have some things that are synonymous with Russia such as vodka, which contributes 1% to the country’s annual income. Russia is also where you will find the Ural Mountains, the first mountains in the world and the delectable cabbage soup called shchi, the red soup called borscht, and a drink called kvass, with black bread as its main ingredient. And you should not forget about the absolutely cute matryoshka dolls.
Russia, the Land of World Wonders
The whole country itself is unique. It’s so vast it spans 9 time zones, and in some records it even comes up to 11 times zones. Russia is the largest country in the world, with a land area of 17,075,400 square kilometers and is home to over 143 million people, comprising 160 ethnic groups. It covers 40% of Europe and extends across the whole of the northern part of Asia. It has 12 seas within its territory, over 1,000 major cities and shares borders with 14 countries in Europe and Asia. Russia has 37,000 kilometers of coastline along the Pacific and Artic Oceans as well as other seas, and has the deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal, which is located in Siberia. This lake is so deep that the largest rivers in Russia, India, Colombia, South America, the United Kingdom and France, such as the Amazon, Seine, Oder, Thames, Don, Yenisei, Ural and Ob, Volga, Orinoko, Ganges and Dnepr will take about a year to fill the lake’s basin.
The Bread-based Kvass
Who would think that bread could be made into a mildly alcoholic, fermented drink? Well, in Russia, rye bread or black bread is used as the main ingredient for making kvass, a popular drink that is sold on the street straight from a tank. It has a slightly sour taste and a very low alcohol content that it can even be served to children. It also goes by the name of Russian Cola. It is a simple concoction that almost anyone can make.
Rye bread is used to make this popular Russian drink. The basic recipe calls for the bread to be thoroughly toasted until it becomes very dry and then crushed and boiled in water. Fermentation is done by adding a mixture of yeast, sugar and water. The rye bread water is filtered and the yeast mixture added to it, together with lemon peel, peppermint leaves and raisins and left to steep for eight hours, filtered and then poured into bottles. There are many new variations to the recipe for making kvass and may include berries, fruits, herbs, spices and honey. Apparently the drink has medicinal properties as Russians drink it to boost their metabolism and improve their digestion. It is said to be also good for the heart and the circulatory system and helps prevent infections. Due to its ingredients kvass contains lactic acid, microelements, free amino acids and several vitamins. It’s definitely a good reason for you to try a few bottles when you are in Russia.
The Hearty Shchi
Shchi is a very popular hot soup in Russia made from cabbage and other ingredients. For over one thousand years, shchi has been a part of the Russian cuisine, a hearty dish that is enjoyed by people of all social strata.The unique taste of shchi comes from the long stewing that is done after the cabbage soup has been cooked. It’s actually a simple dish that is composed of cabbage, meat, parsley roots or basil, carrots, bay leaf, dill, celery, onions, pepper, garlic and pickle water, sauerkraut, apples or heavy sour cream or smetana that add the sourness to the dish. It is usually served with rye bread. Fish and mushrooms are sometimes used to replace the meat. During times of abstinence, the meat is totally omitted.
Borscht is a National Food
A thick, red soup that is not tomato-based seems unlikely but borscht is another hot soup served in Russia that is contrary to the norm. Borscht is a national dish in the country and is made from meat, broth, tomato juice, various vegetables and beets, which give this flavorful soup its red color. This is a cold-weather dish that is at its best when served piping hot. It consists of beef, onions, tomatoes, carrots, celery and cabbage cooked in broth. It is served with chopped parsley or chives, crushed garlic and a dollop of sour cream, accompanied by ice-cold vodka and slices of black bread (Russian rye bread). It’s their tradition to serve the vodka very cold and they usually put the bottle back to the freezer to maintain its temperature between shots. If you want to try this national dish, the proper way to eat the thick soup is to take a shot of the vodka, then follow it up with a spoonful of the piping-hot borscht then have a bite of black rye bread.
Vodka, Russia’s National Drink
Russians love to drink and their drink of choice is of course their national drink, vodka. Vodka is distilled liquor that comes from the distillation of grapes (freshly pressed grape juice that contains the fruit’s skin, seeds and stems). It is interesting to note that the term came from the Russian word “voda” which actually means water.
It is believed that a monk named Isidore from the Chudov Monastery was the first to make the recipe for Russian vodka around 1430. The monastery was inside the Kremlin in Moscow. The monk has the devices and the special skill in distillation and became the creator of the new alcoholic drink. Initially called the bread wine, the vodka recipe was only processed and served exclusively for the Grand Duchy of Moscow and was not available in any other municipality.
Through centuries of trying to perfect the product, the alcohol content of the drink continued to increase. Initially the alcohol content did not go beyond 40% by volume but with the sophistication of distilling equipment, the alcohol levels, quality of the drink and the number of distillations also changed. Some had such high levels of alcohol that they had to be diluted with water before people could drink them. The term “vodka” was already in use at that time but mostly applied to herbal tinctures that were used for medicinal purposes and had about 75% alcohol content by volume.
The Tsars were the rulers of Russia when Empress Elizabeth made a decree to use the word vodka for the present day drink on June 8, 1751 for the purpose of regulating the vodka distilleries’ ownership and the collection of taxes on its sale. At that time, vodka sales were already contributing 40% to the state’s revenue. The government issued a policy to promote the consumption of the state-produced vodka around the 1860s and thus, vodka became the national drink. Way back then the price of vodka was quite high that only the rich could afford to buy the drink. But when the government monopoly on its production was repealed in 1863, its price became affordable for even those citizens who were receiving low incomes.
Vodka’s consumption was around 89% in Russia by 1911 and went down slightly with the availability of other drinks during the early part of the 20th century. It still is a very high number today, registering around 70% vis-à-vis all alcohol consumed in the country. Some of the most popular and best-selling brands of vodka available in Russia are Putinka, Green Label, Parliament, Five Lakes from Siberia and the only vodka with a specific vintage, Kauffmann Vodka. If you want to try flavored vodka, look for the Soyuz-Victan Natural Harmony brand. They have flavors such as Lime Blossom, Nettle Leaves, Honey with Pepper and Birch Buds.
Delightful and Sometimes Funny Matryoshka Dolls
You may have already seen these Russian nesting dolls. A matryoshka doll is a set of wooden dolls that are placed one inside the otherin decreasing sizes. It is a traditional elaborately-painted Russian toy, which usually has the first and largest doll depicting a woman dressed in a traditional Russian folk costume, called a “sarafan.” The set can have five, seven or nine dolls depending on the quality of the craftsmanship. The rest of the dolls can be a mix of genders with the last one usually depicting a baby. The dolls can represent peasant girls, Soviet leaders, and characters from fairly tales or follow a certain theme.
The first matryoshka doll set was carved by Vasily Zvyozdochkin in 1890 following the design created by Sergey Malyutin. Each of the dolls in the set can stand on its own. The last one or the baby doll is usually carved from a piece of wood while the rest are hollow so the others can fit inside each one. It is said that the designer was inspired by either a fukuruma nesting doll or a daruma doll from Honshu, Japan. This beautiful Russian toy, which will make very good souvenir gifts for people back home, won a bronze medal at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900.
Ural, the First Mountains in the World
The Ural Mountains, considered to be one of the world’s oldest existing mountain ranges,are about 250 to 300 million years old. They are found in Russia. The 2,100 kilometer-long mountain range forms a natural boundary between Asia and Europe and extends from the Arctic Ocean all the way to Kazakhstan’s northern border.
The Urals were formed by the collision of the young and weak continent called Kazakhstania and the larger supercontinent named Laurussia millions of years ago. It took about 90 million years for the Ural Mountains to be formed. Rocks that surfaced from the base of the mountain were from the Paleozoic period while sedimentary rocks found on the west of the mountain are similar to those left by shallow seas of ancient times, such as sandstone, limestone and dolomite. On its eastern side, the basalt rocks are mostly similar to those that come from the bottom of the ocean.
The mountains yield economically valuable minerals and ores. The western region has large deposits of potassium salts, oil, natural gas, lignite and bituminous coal. On its eastern side are deposits of bituminous coal, gold, chromite, platinum, nickel oxide, bauxite, abrasives, fire clay, talc, magnetite ores and chalcopyrite. The Urals are also valued for their deposits of semi-precious and precious gemstones, including diamond, rhodonite, malachite, jasper, emerald, amethyst and aquamarine.
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