Another thing that will excite people a lot beside the tourist attractions while going to another country is culinary. Culinary is something that no one would be able to resist. They’ll definitely want to try the cuisine where they’re travelling to. This is mainly because every places have their own style and recipes when it comes to cooking food.
No matter how similar the ingredients that are used, different places use different method or even producing different outcomes. This is all the effect of the cultural differences in all over the place, but thanks to that we got a tons of choices of dishes all over the world. Those dishes are waiting for you to taste them one by one, for you to enjoy them.
Then, what about the Siberia that cover a huge part of Russia in the map for almost 75%? They surely got whole unique and tasty food made and served for you to try. Just knowing the best Russian food for party or celebration isn’t enough. There surely are a lot of delicious dishes that you can taste only in Siberia. Taste that will remind you of this beautiful place, whenever it enters your mouth and touches the tip of your tongue.
Siberian Dishes
Tasting a new dish for the first time is absolutely an interesting thing, at least for some people who love foods and culinary. There’s that one feeling that you can’t replace with any other thing. That’s when someone get a spoonful of a new kind of dish. Right when that unique and delicious taste get into their taste buds, they’ll get a mix of nervousness, amusement, and excitement. It doesn’t matter if their tongue can’t adapt well to that new taste. All that matters is that such delicious dish ever landed on their mouth, and they ain’t gonna forget that ever.
Then, what are the famous dishes from Siberia that you must try whenever you’re visiting there?
1. Gruzinchiki
For all fish lovers, this is your time to cheer and grab a spoon. This unique dish is prepared at Baikal, the oldest lake that located in Siberia. Gruzinchiki is basically dish roll that use freshly kneaded dough to wrap the fish. The seasoning for the dish itself is very simple, just chopped onions. It will be placed on top of the dough that has been flatten out. After that, it’s rolled neatly and then get cut into few pieces. Once everything set, the next step is to pour hot oil on top, and enjoy. This is a classic, sophisticated way to enjoy fish without grilling it at all. The perfect combination between the soft and thin dough will match well with the tender fish meat inside.
2. Omul fish
Another Baikal thing is going on the list, it’s still fish this time. But, in a whole different way of cooking. Omul fish, this white fish that can be found throughout Lake Baikal, can be enjoyed in various way. People make it salted, smoked, sometimes boiled, or even fried. Those four ways are considered as the most delicious way to eat Omul fish. However, the most popular one is the skewered omul. After going through some cleaning, it’s rubbed with salt to give some taste. It will be roasted upside down with small sticks pierced to keep it open. This is also a great side dish that will go well with alcohol.
3. Zagutai
Siberia surely has a lot of fish dish on their cusine, and some are even raw. Zagutai is one of the example for that. It’s a dish where the omul fish will be cut into fish fillet. As for the taste, it will be put in the salty water. Another seasonings will be onions and black pepper for additional spices. The very last thing is vegetable oil, which sometimes mixed with mayonnaise according to your choice. This raw dish is quite popular for it’s goodness, which you should never miss if you ever visit Siberia. It’s one of the most delicious dishes that you can taste only in Siberia, though.
- Raskolotka
Another raw dish will astonish you with its uniqueness and taste. If other fish dish is eaten raw or just poured with hot oil, this one is frozen. That’s quite unique and rare, isn’t it? They beat the frozen fish with hammer and season it with salt and black pepper. That’s all and they enjoy it right away. Well, the coldness of the frozen fish will first welcome you before you get to taste the tender meat inside. This might not be one of the most popular Russian fish dishes that you can try at home easily, but it is a must try when in Siberia.
5. Pirogi
It’s sweet time for dessert! Siberian loves making pie, be it savory one or the sweet one. Many types of filings are used, from fish to berries. However, what makes Pirogi special is the fat they use for the dough. Instead or using usual margarine or butter for the dough, they use fish fat. They melt the fish twice in order to get the fish fat. It goes into the dough, despite what kind of fillings will they put on top. However, the crispiness of the pie crust will make you cheer right away before you even get to taste the fillings. Potatoes, cottage cheese, cherries, cabbage, fish, egg, meat, all can goes right on your pies for you to enjoy. Everyone who love most favorite dessert in Russian cuisine will love this.
6. Goroshnitsa
At a first glance, you might think that this dish is Siberian mashed potatoes. But, no,it’s far from your imagination. Goroshnitsa is something that made by fish, again. This time it’s red fish fat. It also use dried peas, flour, water for the other ingredients. After those ingredients are processed first, cut into pieces, then they pour the fat on top. A bowl full of fish, you can say. Even though you won’t even be able to see a single pieces of fish meat, you can definitely taste it right away.
7. Grilled venison
Actually, there are other ways of processing venison meat. You can boil it, put it into your stew, fry it with oil, anything. But, grilling is one of Siberian’s favorite, especially with cowberry sauce. Venison get cut into pieces then seasoned with black pepper for spices. For the serving, cowberry sauce should never be left along with mushrooms or pine nuts. A warm dish that would be perfect for winter time along with other most favorite food in Russia during winter season.
8. Borscht
If you love eating soups, this is the right dish for you to try. Delicious Siberian borscht will welcome you with the warmness in your first sip. It’s a classic beet soup with vegetables inside. You might find cabbage, carrots, onions, and other greens such as parsley, dill, etc. Usually, it’s also served along with sour cream for additional taste that most Russian enjoy. It’s perfect to enjoy a bowl of borscht during a winter day, as the most popular autumn foods in Russia, or any season would be okay.
Delicious dishes that you can only taste in Siberia will never disappoint you. What you need to have whenever visiting another places, such as Siberia, is to take a risk. Enjoy a spoonful of Siberian dishes, and let your taste buds run wild. It doesn’t matter how much you fancy the dishes, you got to take that experience and taste home to never forget about.