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30.01.2007 "Normal Food" Hard-to-Find Foods in Russia Very often SRAS is asked by Western students in Russia where they can find "normal food." While we encourage students to acclimate to the culture (and food) in Russia as best they can, we realize that Russian cuisine can be very different from what students are used to and can often seem bland and overly oily or fatty. The list below is a list of Western foods that are hard to find in Russia either because Russians generally find them unpalatable (like hot salsa or Grape Nuts) or because they simply haven't been introduced to the market (like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups). The list below is provided for general interest as well as to help students pack a supply of something they might miss too much while abroad! It includes both English and American "delicacies." To help even out the cultural value, we polled Russians on foods they miss while abroad - that list is provided below. All entries were collected from the forums on www.expat.ru, which is a forum for English-speakers in Russia. Note that many of these can be found in Moscow at Stockman's grocery. Mexican Foods: Salsa (especially hot salsa) Tortillas (flour, corn, hard-shell and soft-shell) Frozen burritos Guacamole  Tortilla Chips Spanish Rice (also rarely occurs in even the most authentic of Mexican restaurants) Dinners: Mac and Cheese (in a box) TV Dinners SPAM Canned pastas (Chef Boy-ar-dee; Franco-American) Baked beans Corned beef hash Chili con carne Chili Refried beans Bean dip Stove Top Yams (canned or fresh) Pumpkin (canned) Falafel Tesco pork pies Baking Goods: Betty Crocker Mixes Bisquick Peanut Butter Corn syrup Molasses Marshmallows Marshmallow Creame Cereals: Kellogg's Rice Krispies Grape Nuts      Raisin Bran Wheetabix Sauces and Toppings: Maple Syrup (As a substitute, try honey with a bit of vanilla extract added.) Marmite Heinz Salad Cream Peanut Butter HP Sauce A1 Steak Sauce Snack Foods: Doritos Corn Chips Fritos Ritz Crackers and Ritz Bitz (There is a Russian brand which is highly similar, however. Try Lyubyatovo brand "Klassicheskii" crackers (red, 175g, with photo on the front, available at shops and kiosks.) Oreo cookies Brownies (these can be found at "Praim" sandwich shops!) Wheat Thins Chips Ahoy cookies Nutter Butter cookies Pop-Tarts Triscuits Rice Thins Crispers Cheez Whiz Fig Newtons Jello Candy: Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Reeses Pieces (however, Russians love them! - bring some and make some friends) Candy canes Peppermint Patties (The below are truly only applicable to the brand loyal. Russia has two major brands: Krasnyi Oktyabr and A. Kornikov which produce excellent quality and affordable candies and chocolates. Try them and you'll be missing them when you go home!) Hershey chocolate bars O. Henry candy bars Babe Ruth candy bars Heath toffee candy bars Nut Goodie candies Turtle candies Drinks: Hot chocolate mix Malted milk mix Dr. Pepper Mr. Pibb Mountain Dew Ovaltine AND WHAT DO RUSSIANS CRAVE WHEN ABROAD? It is interesting to note that almost no one responded to this open-questioned by citing brand names, though many specified "Russian" in the names of the products they mentioned that are available in similar forms abroad. Below are the most popular answers given. Many of the names have been annotated and linked to sites with more information. Grains and Breads Rye bread (often darker and thicker than what you find in America) Kasha (Boiled millet - also made from other grains) Grechka - buckwheat cooked and eaten like rice Dairy Products Russian 20%, 30%, 50% dairy fat sour cream, Prostokvasha (very similar to butter milk) Ryazhenka (Similar to butter milk) Kefir (similar to butter milk, but more sour) Sgushonka (sweetened, caramelized, condensed milk – mmmm tasty!) Yogurt drinks Russian ice cream Tvorog (similar to cottage cheese, but with smaller curds and thicker texture) "Russian" mayonnaise (generally has a much higher fat content than in the West) Pickled Things Russians take their pickling very seriously. Russian pickles are traditionally made in a lightly salted brine. Too much salt or the use of vinegar is generally frowned upon. Pickled cucumbers Pickled cabbage Pickled garlic Pickled tomatoes Meats and Fish Kholodets - a jellied product usually made from pork and flavored with garlic Salo – pork lard, often cooked and eaten alone or diced, fried, and added to dishes Selyodka pod shuboi - a layered salad made from herring that no one except real Russians seems to have the ability to tolerate Shashlik - marinated meat roasted over coal Traditional Medicines Most Russians prefer herbal and non-traditional medicines to professional health care. Chainyi grib - a cure-all made from yeast and mushrooms Russian herbal medicines and traditional healers  Drinks Baltika 9 - a Russian beer with 9% alcohol Cheap Vodka - according to most, that available in the West is a third of the quality for many times the price. Vodka is often cheaper than beer in Russia! Kvas - made from fermented bread, usually slightly alcoholic Other Tkemali sauce (a Georgian spiced sauce made from tkemali fruit) Russian Chocolates (Krasnyi oktyabr, mishkas, alyonka), Russian hot chocolate (generally it's just melted chocolate in a cup) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Study Abroad in Russia SRAS Travel Services  The Library: Religion in Russia Find Out More! Hate Crime in Russia, the US Heath and Safety in Russia The SRAS Newsletter Russian Nationalism, Identity Library: All About Russian Eurasian Regions and Cities Journal for Students More Free Resources!    Questions or comments? Contact the editor « back to Student Guide to Russia archive print this page email this page