Moscow travel guide

Borscht

Russia's red cathedral of soups—beet, cabbage, potato and carrot simmered with beef or pork until deeply colored; served with a mountain of smetana (sour cream) and dark sourdough rye bread; warming, filling and ancient

Pelmeni

Siberia's gift to Russian cuisine—small pasta dumplings folded over minced pork, beef and onion; boiled and served with sour cream, vinegar or butter; Moscow canteens serve enormous bowls for almost nothing; genuinely addictive

Blini

Russia's ceremonial thin pancakes—eaten during Maslenitsa (Butter Week) before Lent with smoked salmon, red caviar, crème fraîche or sour cream with jam; Sunday morning blini-making is a domestic ritual as important as any church service

Beef Stroganoff

Russia's internationally famous cream-sauced beef dish—tender strips of beef in a rich, mushroom-enriched sour cream gravy; invented in 19th-century St Petersburg, refined in Moscow's restaurants; lighter and more elegant than exported versions

Vodka

Russia's essential spirit—drunk ice cold in small shot glasses with obligatory toasts (tosts) that must rhyme or philosophize; always paired with zakuski (bar food): pickles, dark bread, herring and smoked fish; Moscow's small-batch producers are exceptional