Russian foods we consume, as a Russian family in America

We are very Americanized. This is a neutral statement — it’s not good or bad, it’s the reality. We left Russia more than eight years ago. Our twins weren’t even two years old; our older boys were eight and six. We haven’t been back to Russia since. There aren’t many Russians in our social circle (again — a neutral observation!). Our main connection to Russia, other than speaking Russian in our family, is through our grandmothers — they come twice a year. Among other things, they spoil us with their cooking! The Russian-ness of our family can be felt in our kitchen when they are around!

Here are some distinctly Russian dishes we consume.

• Caviar! Believe it or not. Our grandmothers always bring a few cans of red caviar as a treat and our kids love it. They spread it over a slice of white bread with butter. I don’t know how much our babushkas pay for these cans in Moscow but presumably cheaper than it’d be here in the US

• Soups. Borsht (beet root), cabbage soup (щи), mushroom soup and so on. I’ve not been eating soups in recent years, but borsht is awesome! I really don’t know anyone who doesn’t like borsht. When I was a foreign student in Oklahoma 25 years ago, my parents visited me and my host family for Christmas. My mom cooked borsht and everybody loved it (unless they hated it but were too…