Traditional Russian Appetizer (Zakuski)

Salads like the Russian herring under a fur coat salad are an indispensable part of the zakuski table and might include a simple vinaigrette salad (bинегрет), pickled cucumbers, beets, tomatoes, onions, and cabbage, stuffed eggs, cheese, and bread. But there are more elaborate offerings:

• Olivier Salad (oливье - oliv'ye)
• Pickled Mushrooms (mаринованными Грибами—marinovannymi gribami)
• Vegetable Caviar (икра—ikra)
• Baked Mushrooms in Sour Cream Sauce (Грибы В Сметане—gribi v smetani)

Zakuski spreads include an overwhelming assortment of charcuterie meats, cold cuts, ​bacon, hams, chicken roll, tongue, and others.

• Meat in Aspic ( xолодец—kholodets)
• Ukrainian Sausage (kолбаса—kubasa or sardelki)
• Kebabs (шашлык—shashlik)

No Russian appetizer spread would be complete without caviar, herring, lox, fried smelts with onion and lemon, eel, and squid. Many Russian recipes are similar to Polish and Ukrainian recipes featuring brined and cured fish.

• Caviar (икра—ikra)
• Pickled Herring Rollmops (маринованная сельдь рольмопс—marinovannaya sel'd' rol'mops)
• Smoked Fish (​копченая рыба—kopchenaya ryba)

Russians celebrate flour in its many forms including the popular dumplings, savory strudels, pancakes, and more.

• Pasty/Knish (пирожки—pirozhki)
• Pampushki (пампушки)
• Cabbage Pie (кулебяка—kulebyaka)
• Buckwheat Pancakes (блины—blini)
• Chicken-Mushroom Blini (курица и грибами блины—kuritsa i gribami bliny)

Soup takes pride of place in Russia and now that slow cookers are common, they can be kept warm and often appear on a zakuski spread. There are thousands of variations on one type of soup, but these are very typical.

• Traditional Russian Cabbage Soup (Schi) Recipe
• Traditional Russian Beet Soup (Borshch) Recipe
• Traditional Russian Solyanka Soup With Meat Recipe
• Traditional Russian Fish Soup (Ukha) Recipe
• Traditional Russian Dried Mushroom Soup (Sukhoĭ Gribnoĭ Sup) Recipe
• Traditional Russian Sorrel Soup (Schav) Recipe

Russians don't live by bread, potatoes, and vodka alone but, if push came to shove, they could. Rye, pumpernickel, black, and seeded bread hold sway.

• Russian Sourdough Rye Bread (закваска ржаной хлеб—zakvaska rzhanoy khleb)
• Russian Easter Bread (кулич—kulich)
• Russian/Georgian Acharuli Khachapuri Cheese Bread Recipe (ахарули хачапури)

The whole purpose of zakuski is to lessen the effects of potent drinks like vodka and Champagne. Some prefer to go the non-alcoholic route with tea, coffee, a non-alcoholic bread beer drink known as kvas, fruit compotes, juice, and kefir.

• Vodka (водка—vodka)
• Kvas (квас—kvas)
• Hot Honey-Spice Drink (сбитень—sbiten)
• Spiced Tea (пряный чай—pryanyĭ chaĭ)
• Compote (kомпот—kompot)
• Kefir (kифир—kefir)