The Atlas · Nº 38 ·Russia

Most Popular Russian Food

Russian food is built for the cold and the long table: pelmeni boiled by the trayful, blini stacked for Maslenitsa, a spread of pickles and cured fish set out before anyone sits down. It runs sweet too, from layered honey Medovik to jars of varenye stirred into tea.

63 dishes ranked·6 in the global top 1,000 ·4,662 diner ratings·Best rank Nº 105

Plate I — The Origins

Fig. 1 Where 63 ranked russian dishes were born. Dish origin

Drag to pan · Double-click or +/− to zoom · Select a marker for its entry

The Signature Dishes

The twelve highest-ranked Russian dishes, by global position.

Shashlik, meat dish from Russia
Plate IIMeat Dish · Russia

1 Nº 105 worldwide

Shashlik

Meat Dish · Shashlyk · шашлы́к · խորոված

Marinated chunks of lamb, pork, or beef threaded onto skewers and grilled over coals, the shared barbecue of the Caucasus and Central Asia that Russians took up as their own. It is dacha and summer food, cooked outdoors and pulled straight off the skewer with raw onion and bread.

★ 4.4|88% positive |163 ratings

Medovik, cake from Russia
Plate IIICake · Russia

2 Nº 354 worldwide

Medovik

Cake · Medoviy Tort · Balli Tort · Медовик

A tall layered honey cake, its thin sponges baked with honey until almost biscuit-crisp, then softened for a day under sweet sour-cream frosting. It is the cake Russians bake for birthdays and holidays, and the resting time is what turns the layers tender.

★ 4.2|84% positive |266 ratings

Syrniki, pancake from Russia

3SyrnikiNº 422

Pancake · Also Syrnyky

Small pancakes of sweetened tvorog, the fresh Russian curd cheese, fried until golden and served warm with sour cream and jam. A breakfast and dessert staple across the region, they are sometimes called tvorozhniki, and they turn plain curd cheese into something you look forward to.

★ 4.2|119 ratings

Pelmeni, dumplings from Russia

4PelmeniNº 430

Dumplings · Also Пельмени

A Russian national dish: small dumplings that wrap thin dough around minced meat, boiled and served with sour cream, butter, or a splash of vinegar. Siberian families once froze trays of them outdoors all winter, and a pot of pelmeni is still weeknight comfort.

★ 4.2|272 ratings

Pirozhki, savory pastry from Russia

5PirozhkiNº 777

Savory Pastry · Also пирожки

Little oval yeast buns, baked or fried, stuffed with whatever is on hand, from cabbage and minced meat to potato, egg, or sweet fruit and jam. Sold from Russian street stalls and packed for train journeys, they are the country's grab-and-go pastry.

★ 4.1|111 ratings

Napolyeon tort, cake from Russia

6Napolyeon tortNº 831

Cake

The Russian take on a mille-feuille: many sheets of flaky puff pastry stacked with rich pastry cream and left to soften overnight. Named for Napoleon and topped with its own crushed crumbs, it is a New Year's table fixture in many households.

★ 4.1|58 ratings

Varenye, dessert from Russia

7VarenyeNº 1,387

Dessert

Whole fruits or berries cooked slowly with sugar so they stay intact and glossy rather than collapsing into jam. Russians put it up by the jar in summer, then spoon it over blini, stir it into tea, or eat it by the spoonful, a taste of the garden through winter.

★ 3.9|59 ratings

Blini, pancake from Russia

8BliniNº 1,636

Pancake · Also Bliny

Thin Russian pancakes leavened with yeast, which sets them apart from the batter kind and gives them a lacy, faintly sour edge. Rolled or folded around anything from sour cream and caviar to jam, they are the centerpiece of Maslenitsa, the butter-week festival before Lent.

★ 3.9|183 ratings

Mushroom Julienne, appetizer from Russia

9Mushroom JulienneNº 2,942

Appetizer

Mushrooms and onion baked in a cream-and-cheese sauce until bubbling and browned, served hot and sizzling in the small individual dishes it's cooked in. A restaurant appetizer more than a home one, it takes its name from the French cut rather than any particular method.

★ 3.8|36 ratings

Pozharsky cutlet (Pozharskaya kotleta), fried chicken dish from Russia

10Pozharsky cutlet (Pozharskaya kotleta)Nº 3,407

Fried Chicken Dish · Also Пожарские котлеты

A breaded, pan-fried patty of minced chicken, enriched with butter so it stays juicy under its crisp crumb coat. It dates to the 19th century and carries the Pozharsky name, famous enough in its day to earn a passing mention from Pushkin.

★ 3.8|48 ratings

Pirog, savory pie from Russia

11PirogNº 3,548

Savory Pie

A large baked pie, its crust of yeast or short dough wrapped around a filling that swings from savory to sweet, cabbage, fish, and mushroom one day, apple or plum the next. Cut into squares and shared, the pirog is home baking and hospitality in one dish.

★ 3.8|70 ratings

Zakuski, assorted small dishes or ritual from Russia

12ZakuskiNº 4,881

Assorted Small Dishes or Ritual

Not a dish but the spread that opens a Russian meal: small plates of pickles, cured fish, salads, and black bread, with vodka to go alongside. At a celebration the zakuski can run to a dozen dishes or more, laid out for guests to graze before anyone sits down to the main meal.

★ 3.7|61 ratings

The Departments

Every Russian dish in our ranking, grouped the way you'd order them.

The Complete Ledger

All 63 Russian dishes in the world ranking. Every entry, leaf by leaf.

63 entries
  1. 105 Shashlik Meat Dish Russia ★ 4.4
  2. 354 Medovik Cake Russia ★ 4.2
  3. 422 Syrniki Pancake Russia ★ 4.2
  4. 430 Pelmeni Dumplings Perm Krai ★ 4.2
  5. 777 Pirozhki Savory Pastry Russia ★ 4.1
  6. 831 Napolyeon tort Cake Russia ★ 4.1
  7. 1,387 Varenye Dessert Russia ★ 3.9
  8. 1,636 Blini Pancake Russia ★ 3.9
  9. 2,942 Mushroom Julienne Appetizer Russia ★ 3.8
  10. 3,407 Pozharsky cutlet (Pozharskaya kotleta) Fried Chicken Dish Russia ★ 3.8
  11. 3,548 Pirog Savory Pie Russia ★ 3.8
  12. 4,881 Zakuski Assorted Small Dishes or Ritual Russia ★ 3.7
  13. 5,050 Oladyi Pancake Russia ★ 3.7
  14. 5,275 Beef Stroganoff Beef Dish Russia ★ 3.6
  15. 5,787 Avar khinkal Meat Dish Dagestan ★ 3.6
  16. 5,789 Vatrushka Sweet Pastry Russia ★ 3.6
  17. 5,937 Kurnik Savory Pie Russia ★ 3.6
  18. 5,978 Smetannik Cake Russia ★ 3.6
  19. 6,076 Veal Orloff Veal Dish Russia ★ 3.6
  20. 6,154 Khychin Flatbread Kabardino-Balkaria ★ 3.6
  21. 6,239 Guriev kasha Porridge Russia ★ 3.5
  22. 6,254 Ptichye moloko Cake Moscow ★ 3.5
  23. 6,273 Golubtsy Ground Meat Dish Russia ★ 3.5
  24. 6,543 Prianik Sweet Bread Tula ★ 3.5
  25. 6,545 Çäkçäk Dessert Tatarstan ★ 3.5
  26. 6,662 K Klotski Soup Russia ★ 3.5
  27. 6,835 Königsberger Klopse Meatballs Kaliningrad ★ 3.5
  28. 6,864 S Sukhariki Cookie Russia ★ 3.5
  29. 6,871 K Kurze Dumplings Dagestan ★ 3.5
  30. 6,890 Paskha Cheese Dessert Russia ★ 3.5
  31. 7,048 T Talkish kaleve Dessert Tatarstan ★ 3.5
  32. 7,180 Coulibiac Savory Pie Russia ★ 3.4
  33. 7,236 N Nevsky pirog Cake Saint Petersburg ★ 3.4
  34. 7,245 Echpochmak Savory Pastry Tatarstan ★ 3.4
  35. 7,332 Pastila Dessert Kolomna ★ 3.4
  36. 7,553 Olivier Salad Salad Moscow ★ 3.4
  37. 7,557 Limonnik Sweet Pie Russia ★ 3.4
  38. 7,645 Sushki Snack Russia ★ 3.3
  39. 7,728 P Pelmeni s gribami Dumplings Perm ★ 3.3
  40. 7,790 Anke Pie Sweet Pie Russia ★ 3.3
  41. 7,811 Rasstegai Savory Pastry Russia ★ 3.3
  42. 7,838 Perepechi Savory Pie Udmurtia ★ 3.3
  43. 7,895 Solyanka Soup Russia ★ 3.3
  44. 8,092 Zefir Dessert Russia ★ 3.2
  45. 8,122 Sharlotka Sweet Pie Russia ★ 3.2
  46. 8,265 Sugudai Fish Dish Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) ★ 3.1
  47. 8,267 Elesh Savory Pastry Tatarstan ★ 3.1
  48. 8,314 M Mishka na severe Cake Russia ★ 3.1
  49. 8,381 K Kyorchekh Frozen Dessert Yakutsk ★ 3.1
  50. 8,386 Stroganina Appetizer Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) ★ 3.1
  51. 8,424 B Bortsoki Fried Dough Kalmykia ★ 3.0
  52. 8,435 Mimoza Salad Salad Russia ★ 3.0
  53. 8,597 Herring Under a Fur Coat (Shuba) Salad Russia ★ 2.8
  54. 8,640 Ukha Fish Soup Russia ★ 2.8
  55. 8,647 T Tabani Flatbread Udmurtia ★ 2.8
  56. 8,688 Kissel Dessert Russia ★ 2.7
  57. 8,723 Vinegret Salad Russia ★ 2.6
  58. 8,729 Kasha Porridge Russia ★ 2.5
  59. 8,748 Okroshka Cold Soup Russia ★ 2.5
  60. 8,787 Rassolnik Soup Russia ★ 2.3
  61. 8,829 Kholodets Appetizer Russia ★ 1.5
  62. 8,835 Shchi Soup Russia ★ 1.4
  63. 8,837 Indigirka Salad Salad Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) ★ 1.4
Leaf 1 of 2

Gazetteer

A Regional Tour of Russian Food

Where Russia's ranked dishes were born, and what to order there.

Questions, Answered

Russian food, frequently asked. Answered from the data.

What is the most popular Russian food?
By our ranking the top Russian dish is Shashlik, skewers of marinated meat grilled over coals, at #105 of 10,833 worldwide. The dishes our raters flock to, though, are the classics of the holiday table: Olivier Salad, Beef Stroganoff, and Pelmeni, the meat dumplings that count as a Russian national dish. All 11 Russian dumplings & pastries →
What food is Russia known for?
Layer cakes, cold salads, and things to eat with tea. Russia's most distinctive strengths are its cakes, like the honey-soaked Medovik and puff-pastry Napolyeon tort, and its mayonnaise-bound salads, from Olivier Salad to Herring Under a Fur Coat. Soups such as Solyanka and dumplings like Pelmeni fill out the savory side. All 5 Russian salads & vegetables →
What is Russia's national dish?
Russia has no single official one, but Pelmeni, the boiled meat dumplings eaten with sour cream and vinegar, are the dish most often given the title, and they rank among our most-rated Russian foods. Blini, the yeast-raised pancakes central to the Maslenitsa festival, and hearty soups like Solyanka are the other contenders.
What is the most famous Russian cake?
Medovik, the honey cake of thin sponges layered with sour-cream frosting, is the best-ranked Russian cake in our data at #354 worldwide. Its main rival is Napolyeon tort, a Russian mille-feuille of flaky puff pastry and custard that crowds New Year tables. Both are better after a day's rest in the fridge. All 21 Russian desserts & sweets →
What should I eat in Tatarstan?
Tatar specialties you won't find on a Moscow menu. Çäkçäk is the signature sweet, pieces of fried dough bound into a sticky mound with honey and served at celebrations. Echpochmak, a triangular pastry filled with meat and potato, and the round baked Elesh are the everyday savory pastries of the republic.