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

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

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.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

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.

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.

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