September 18, 2020

A Russian Millennial's Path to Vinaigrette


A Russian Millennial's Path to Vinaigrette
Vinaigrette Anna Kharzeeva

This is the first of many stories about the deep connection Russians have with food. Appropriately we begin with a story about the series' author, Anna Kharzeeva. We're calling the series Food Stories.


I grew up in Russia’s turbulent 1990s, sustained by my grandmother’s borshch and pirozhki, while craving Snickers bars, "just add water" drinks of unimaginable colors, and basically all things American.

On a regular school day, I would have buckwheat with milk for breakfast (buckwheat was all right, but corn flakes were a dream!), soup, bread, or pasta at school for lunch, and later my babushka would come over with a bunch of recycled sour cream containers filled with borshch, rissoles, plov, and pickled cabbage.

She would also make vinaigrette, but it wasn’t a favorite. It didn’t have the warmth of borshch or the excitement of pirozhki. Neither was it foreign (and therefore – better than anything Russian, as I thought).

Years passed, I grew up, and I stopped craving colorful drinks. I even went to university to study history and languages. In the last year of my studies, I met my Australian husband at an expat gathering. While I was struggling to understand all the accents, one thing was clear: all these people moved to Moscow and were trying to understand the culture.

I took him on an excursion around Moscow’s center. He seemed impressed, I was proud to share. A few years later we were already married and I was writing a blog about Soviet food. 

We went to Sydney for a few weeks, and, since I had to cook and write every week, I made vinaigrette for my Australian in-laws following the instructions from the iconic Soviet cookbook, The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food. I was shy and worried they wouldn’t like it. But they loved it. “It’s a traditional Russian salad,” I said proudly, perhaps for the first time ever.

I know I should have been more proud of my heritage before that, too, but I wasn’t (for various reasons, but the vodka jokes weren’t helping either), but I was proud then and am now.

I’ve grown to realize that where I come from is troubled, complex, hard to comprehend, and often bizarre. But it’s also beautiful, and interesting, and fun. And it’s mine. And that vinaigrette is damn delicious.

Here is how I like to make it:

Vinaigrette

Винегрет

Ingredients
  • 3-4 beets
  • 2-3 potatoes
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 apple
  • 1-2 pickles or marinated cucumbers
  • 2-3 tablespoons pickled cabbage
  • 3 Tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 Tbsp vinegar
  • 1-2 tsp mustard

Roast or boil the beets, potatoes and carrots. I like to roast them atop a layer of salt: fill a cookie sheet with salt, place the vegetables on top (toss the beets and potatoes to cover them in salt, but not the carrots; they will get too salty).

Cool and peel the vegetables, then chop them up. Traditionally vinaigrette is finely chopped, but I like bigger pieces, too.

Peel and chop up an apple. Chop up the pickles/cucumbers, and add the sauerkraut. Toss.

Dress with the oil, vinegar and mustard, and add sugar to taste. I like to add dry ground chili as well (or use chili gherkins).

Makes about 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955