To truly understand any culture, you have to get acquainted with its cuisine. You can learn as much about Russia through borscht and vodka as you can about the United States through hot dogs and light beer. This isn’t to stereotype Russian food, though; the country has more to offer than the one or two dishes you might have heard of before. Borscht isn’t even the national dish of Russia (that honor goes to pelmeni). Before you can tuck into your starters, though, it’s worth it to brush up on your Russian food vocab. It will come in handy at restaurants and grocery stores, and is almost definitely vocabulary that you’ll need to use almost every day.
We gathered up some of the most basic Russian food vocab to help you get started. Click the “play” button on each of the words below to hear how they’re pronounced by a native speaker!
Russian Meal-Related Words
to eat — есть
to drink — пить
to have breakfast — завтракать
to have lunch — обедать
to have dinner — ужинать
dessert — десерт
main course — основное блюдо
starter — закуска
Russian Food Words
fruit — фрукты
potato — картофель
tomato — помидор
rice — рис
bread — хлеб
cheese — сыр
meat — мясо
lamb — баранина
beef — говядина
pork — свинина
chicken — курица
fish — рыба
seafood — морепродукты
pelmeni (small, boiled dumplings) — пельмени
sweets — сладости
Russian Drink Words
mineral water — минеральная вода
tap water — вода из-под крана
juice — сок
drink — напиток
milk — молоко
coffee — кофе
lemonade — лимонад
wine — вино
beer — пиво
vodka — водка
tea — чай
soft drink — прохладительный напиток