by Erin Coyne
tar-KHUN.
This is a kind of green-colored soda made from tarragon and popular since Soviet times.
fruity soda.
li-mo-NAD.
The confusion here is that Russian limonad usual y has little to do with what English speakers cal lemonade.
birch juice.
bye-RYO-zo-vii sok.
Who knew you could make juice from a tree?
compote.
kom-POT.
A kind of drink made from stewed fruit and sugar.
orange juice, no ice.
a-pyel-SI-no-vii sok byez l-DA.
.
VEGETARIANISM〉〉〉
VYE-GYE-TA-RI-AN-STVO
Vegetarianism isn’t as common in the former USSR as it is in the U.S., so if you go over to someone’s house for dinner, likely they wil just assume you eat meat. It’s general y better to warn them in advance and to be very specific about it, as some people just don’t get it. Same thing goes for eating out. For example, I once went to a restaurant in Kiev and asked if a certain dish had meat in it. The waitress assured me that it did not, but when I got my order, it was covered in a sauce that was clearly ful of some kind of ground beef. When I complained to the waitress, she protested that in fact the dish did not contain any meat, only the sauce did. Uh, duh. So the lesson here is that if you have dietary restrictions of any nature, don’t assume anything. Spel it out for them. And double-check.
I’m a vegetarian (male).
ya vye-gye-ta-ri-AN-yets.
.
I’m a vegetarian (female).
ya vye-gye-ta-ri-AN-ka.
I don’t eat meat or fish.
ya nye yem ni MYA-so, ni RI-bu.
Is this dish vegetarian?
ε-to BLYU-do vye-gye-ta-ri-AN-sko-ye?
Does this dish contain meat?
v ε-tom BLYU-dye YεST MYA-so?
mineral water on ice.
mi-nye-RAL-ku so l-DOM.
.
sparkling mineral water.
mi-nye-RAL-ku s GA-zom.
.
Borzhomi.
bor-ZHO-mi.
A kind of salty-tasting mineral water produced in Georgia.
Narzan.
nar-ZAN.
Another popular kind of mineral water.
kefir.
kye-FIR.
Apparently, this is very good for your digestive system.
sour milk.
pro-sto-KVA-shu.
kvass.
kvas.
Nonalcoholic, carbonated, usual y a little bitter, and popular in
summer.
Yum yum
nyam nyam
I smell something yummy.
ya SLI-shu O-chen VKUS-nii ZA-pakh.
.
That’s a great recipe!
E-to KLASS-nii rye-TSEPT!
What scrumptious food!
ka-KA-ya vku-SNYA-ti-na!
Finger-lickin’ good!
PAL-chi-ki ob-LI-zhesh!
At the party there was a lot of yummy food.
na vye-che-RIN-kye BI-lo MNO-go VKUS-nyen-ko-vo.
.
Russians love their food so, not surprisingly, they use a lot of diminutives when talking about it. While there is real y no English equivalent that ful y captures the meaning of most of these words, the diminutive endings convey a sense of affection, along the lines of saying “a nice, little something or other.” Here are few examples of the food that Russians love to show their love to:
Pass me some nice, little bread.
pye-rye-DAI mnye KHLYE-bu-shek.
.
I adore pickled ’shrooms.
ya o-bo-ZHA-yu za-ma-ri-NO-va-nni-ye gri-BOCH-ki.
.
I’ll have wittle piece of that cakey.
BU-du ku-SO-chek E-tovo TOR-ti-ka.
.
These little salads are very yummy.
E-ti sa-LA-ti-ki O-chen VKUS-nyen-ki-ye.
.
I really liked that soupy.
mnye O-chen po-NRA-vil-sya E-tot SUP-chik.
I love sweeties!
ya lyu-BLYU SLA-dyen-ko-ye!
Could you pass the taters?
pye-rye-DAI, po-ZHA-lui-sta, kar-TO-shech-ku.
.
Yuck!
fuuuu!
This shit reminds me of prison swill!
Et-o gov-NO na-po-mi-NA-yet mnye o ba-LAN-dye!
That’s disgusting!
E-to pro-TIV-no!
That looks really rank!
E-to VI-glya-dit sov-SYEM khrye-NO-vo!
That yogurt is way past its expiration date.
E-tot YO-gurt dav-NO pro-SRO-che-nii.
This slop is inedible.
E-ta zhrat-VA nye-sye-DOB-na.
I can’t eat this filth!
ya nye mo-GU yest E-tu GA-dost!
This grub went bad a long time ago.
E-ta KHAV-ka dav-NO pro-PA-la.
.
This fruit is already spoiled.
E-ti FRUK-ti u-ZHE is-POR-che-ni.
.
I burned the chicken.
ya pye-rye-ZHA-ril KU-ri-tsu.
.
I’m afraid I oversalted the fish.
bo-YUS, chto pye-rye-so-LIL RI-bu.
I’ve lost my appetite.
u me-NYA pro-PAL a-ppye-TIT.
I don’t feel so well.
CHUST-vu-yu se-BYA nye O-chen.
That fish isn’t sitting right.
E-ta RI-ba bi-LA nye-KSTA-ti.
.
I think I ate something bad.
po MO-ye-mu ya cyel CHTO-to nye TO.
.
That beef didn’t go down right.
E-ta go-VYA-di-na po-PA-la nye v to GOR-lo.
.
After trying Russian bread, I can never go back to that
stale American crap.
PO-sle to-VO, kak PRO-bo-val RU-sskii khlyeb, BOL-she
nye smo-GU KU-shat E-to nye-SVYE-zhe-ye ame-ri-KAN-sko-ye dyer-MO.
I’m full
ya sit
Refusing food in Russia is almost as hard as refusing a drink. In fact, most Russian hosts wil force food on their guests with great passion and wil take it as a personal insult if you don’t go for seconds or thirds. Keep in mind that there is something of an unspoken rule in Russia when refusing food: The first time you refuse, no one wil take you seriously. The second time, they stil think you are being modest. Only after your third refusal wil people start to get the hint that you’ve had enough.
I’m stuffed (masculine).
ya na-YEL-sya.
I’m stuffed (feminine).
ya na-YE-las.
I’m gonna burst!
BOL-she nye mo-GU!
I’ve had enough.
ya u-ZHE VSYO.
I ate too much.
ya ob-YEL-sya.
I overdid it.
ya pye-rye-bor-SCHIL.
It’s time for a smoke break.
po-RA na pye-rye-KUR.
.
Russian food
RU-sska-ya KUKH-nya
The typical Russian meal usual y comprises several courses, including soup, a main course, maybe a salad or two, and plenty of bread. After Russians finish eating, they often fire up the samovar and serve tea and coffee. Here are few traditional Russian foods you might encounter: Soups
su-PI
Borsht
This is actual y Ukrainian in origin but eaten widely in Russia as wel . The main ingredient is beets, but it also usual y has potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and sometimes meat. It’s usual y eaten
(so smye- TA-noi)—with sour cream.
Ukha
u-KHA
A kind of fish stew.
Schi
Cabbage soup.
Solyanka
so-LYAN-ka
A soup of vegetables and meat, usual y a little spicy.
Kharcho
khar-CHO
A spicy Georgian soup.
&
nbsp; Okroshka
o-KROSH-ka
A cold soup usual y served in summer made of kvass, sour cream, radishes, green onion, cucumber, and sometimes potatoes and/or meat.
Salads
sa-LA-ti
Vinegret
vi-nye-GRYET
A beet and vegetable salad.
Olivye
o-li-VYE
Made of potatoes, egg, onion, mayonnaise, ham, and peas.
Meat
MYA-so
Salo
SA-lo
Pig fat. Mmmmm! Perhaps more typical of Ukraine but eaten in Russia as wel , particularly in vil ages.
Pelmeni
pyel-MYE-ni
Sort of like meat ravioli.
Cutlets
kot-LYE-ti
Roast
zhar-KO-ye
Congealed meat (or fish)
kho-lo-DYETS
Herring salad
pod SHU-boi
This is like a big lump of fish salad covered with beets, eggs, potatoes, carrots, and mayonnaise.
Shashlik
shash-LIK
More than a food, this Caucasian version of shish kabob brings with it a whole tradition of going out to the forest, building a fire, cooking up the marinated meat, washing it down with vodka, playing guitar, and having good drunken fun.
Vareniki…
va-RYE-ni-ki…
These are sort of like pelmeni but with different kinds of fil ings. In the U.S., they are usual y cal ed pierogies. The most common kinds are: with potato
s kar-TOSH-koi
with cabbage
s ka-PUS-toi
with sweet farmers cheese
s TVO-ro-gom
with mushrooms
s gri-BA-mi
with cherries
s VISH-nyei
Bread
khlyeb
Black bread
CHOR-nii khlyeb
Small dried circles of bread
SUSH-ki
Usual y eaten with tea.
Gingerbread (sort of)
PRYA-ni-ki
Pirozhki
pi-rozh-KI
Rol s fil ed with various things, most commonly potatoes, cabbage, or meat.
Dessert
dye-SYERT
Apple pie
YA-bloch-nii pi-ROG
This is different from American apple pie. Instead of a crust with apple fil ing, it is more like a cake with apple chunks baked into the batter.
Napoleon
na-po-lye-ON
This is a pastry with layers of flaky phyl o dough slathered with rich cream.
Bird milk
PTI-chye mo-lo-KO
This is sort of like little square pieces of marshmal ow dipped in chocolate but not quite as sticky.
Bliny
bli-NI
Also sometimes cal ed
( BLIN-chi-ki), these are basical y crepes that can be served with such things as:
with honey
s MYO-dom
with sweet farmers cheese
s TVO-ro-gom
with sour cream
so smye-TA-noi
with caviar
s i-KROI
with jam
s va-RYE-nyem
Ice Cream
mo-RO-zhe-no-ye
Creamy kind of ice cream
plom-BIR
Ice cream bar
es-ki-MO
About the Authors
Erin Coyne holds various degrees in Russian-related fields from Fordham University, Georgetown University, and UC Berkeley, where she is currently making depressingly slow progress on a PhD in Slavic Linguistics while teaching Russian classes on the side. In a former life, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer and later worked as an NGO program director which, for better or for worse, exiled her to nearly ten long years in the former Soviet Union. Her interests include yoga, long, alcohol-fueled train rides through Eastern Europe, and TV. Lots and lots of TV. In addition to English and Russian, Erin speaks six other languages with varying degrees of success.
Igor Fisun is a native of Kiev, Ukraine, which, in moments of nationalist pride, he prefers to spel Kyiv. He is a former student of Kiev PTU where he quickly abandoned al interest in ever holding down a real job and instead embarked upon a career in freelance engraving. His native languages are Russian and Ukrainian, and he hopes someday to learn English wel enough to talk his way out of a traffic ticket. His interests include cooking, Japanese art, cheap wine, and pissing people off on internet forums. He is ridiculously proud of his orchid col ection.
The authors are married and live in Albany, California, with their daughter, Myroslava, and their chihuahua, Chili.