September 13, 2021

A Dedication to Dairy


A Dedication to Dairy
This one is vanilla, but you can buy these in so many different flavors and varieties too!  Photo by Aurin via Wikimedia Commons through CC BY-SA 2.5

Residents of Voronezh have made us all proud (and a little bit jealous) by setting the Russian record for eating the most syrki (a sweet cottage cheese-based dessert common in Russia) in one day. 

Anyone who has spent some time in Russia is familiar with the allure of a fresh syrok (the singular form of syrki); its crispy chocolate coating along with its smooth creamy filling makes it an ideal treat to accompany tea or breakfast, especially on a hot day. So it's easy to understand how a group of fair attendants were able to gobble down approximately 1,355 syrki in a single day, breaking the national record, according to the Russian Book of Records. 

The number given is only an approximation because the vendor at the fair wasn't able to write down the names of the individual persons who came and purchased their desserts. Also, quite understandably, many people came back for second servings, but officially, this double-dipping couldn't count toward the final total of syrki consumed. Still a pretty sweet accomplishment!

Maybe the editors at Russian Life can try to beat the record for most bliny eaten next. Let's just not think about all the calories.  

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The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

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.
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