Saturday, November 24, 2012

Serving up sour cream

One of my favorite things about visiting, or in this case living, in a new country is discovering the FOOD! No shocker for anyone who has witnessed my mad skills in the eating department. But we are what we eat, right? In which case this method is clearly the best for researching and adapting to a foreign culture. I'm all over it.

Russian fare has its staples. Beets. Dill. Mayonnaise. Cabbage. Potatoes. The list continues. The item which has drawn my recent attention? Sour cream.

Sour cream in my American existence has been used on primarily two occasions: baked potato night and taco night. How often does baked potato night happen? Since I struck out on my own 10 years ago, maybe twice. Taco night? More frequently...maybe twice a year. But I find I'm often too lazy resourceful to purchase even a small container of sour cream that is bound to sit spoiling in the fridge after eating approximately 1 tablespoon.

How many containers of sour cream do I currently have in my Russian refrigerator? Two. And they're medium-sized. Both this evening AND yesterday I had heaping spoonfuls of this white goodness. With DESSERT. Go figure.

As it turns out, sour cream is a go-to ingredient in these parts. If you have a bowl of soup, be it borscht or several other varieties, it's going to come with a spoonful of sour cream added. And if it doesn't, you best be requesting it. Otherwise, you're not getting the real Russian treatment. Blini, our equivalent of crepes, or an anorexic pancake, are also frequently accompanied with a generous dob. Depending on the flavor, of course.

And dessert for the past two evenings? Syrniki. Here, they can be considered a breakfast meal but they're a bit heavy for my average breakfasting taste. Basically a really thick pancake made out of a type of cottage cheese, sugar, and eggs. Toss in a little flour and you're good to go. As long as you've got a side of sour cream and jam.

Which I do.

And maybe you do too. Am I the only one that's missed out on the sour cream craze previously? Please fill me in if that's the case.

Regardless of my past, I feel this is a part of the Russian culture that is definitely embraceable. Occasionally odd, but nonetheless doable. Sticking power post-Russian life (whenever that may be)? I'm skeptical, but will revaluate when the time comes. For now, here's to the Russians and their love for yet another milk product!


5 comments:

  1. I imagine that learning an all new country and culture can be really tough! We never have sour cream at home, because it goes bad... so interesting how things are so different from one place to another.

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  2. I just made artichoke dip with sour cream in it! We were able to use the whole thing but normally, like you said, it spoils in the fridge after a few tbsp. It doesn't smell all that appetizing to me and I'm a little iffy on what I'll eat it in but it's pretty tasty.

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  3. I love sour cream. I've never had a problem getting through big jars of it! Delicious on soups! Fantastic in Mexican food, but I think my favourite is potato latkes and sour cream and apple sauce.

    Excuse me while i wipe up my drool!

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  4. I started using it a lot because of my husband and loved it since.. sour cream french version with quiche, carbonara, gratin..it's amazing with enchiladas, burritos..now i'm hungry.

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  5. I've always loved sour cream. Maybe I'm Russian at heart! Mix it with a little Pico and you've got a great salad dressing.

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