Culture & Customs

While the U.S. was being battered by Superstorm Sandy and the Election of Nattering Negativity this week, a steady stream of odd stories out of Russia caught my eye. Worried they might otherwise get overlooked, I decided to corral them here.

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

The distinctive form of the Russian drinking vessel known as the kovsh dates back thousands of years. We consider its form and function, and offer a related recipe for Cranberry Kvass.

Culled from vodkaphiles.com: a listing of 20 things you can do with vodka you may have never considered (and may or may not want to try).

For 40 years, Boris Grebenshchikov and Aquarium have made music like no other band in Russia, combining poetry and beautiful, often quizzical instrumentals into a charming sound that is at once entirely unique and entirely Russian.

Over 100 people died in flash floods in the southern city of Krymsk. The disaster was both preventable and criminal. But it still needed to be cleaned up. Russian Life's history editor Tamara Eidelman was there and provides this first hand account of the aftermath of the disaster.

A rumination on Fyodor Tolstoy's painting "Red and White Currants" and the role of this powerful fruit in Russian life and culture. And a recipe for jam!

On rising and falling television stars, the TV ban on activist Ksenia Sobchak, and international support for Pussy Riot.

Against the grim backdrop of Stalin's rise, Sergei Gerasimov painted a radiant image of collectivism. While politically propagandistic, it makes beautiful use of light and mood. And it features a collective feast where surely Sour Cabbage - this issue's recipe - would be welcome.

The Olympics are upon us again, and already pundits are guessing at national medal counts. We, meanwhile, look at some of Russia’s top medal hopefuls.

One of the most vivid images in Russian fairytales is that of the skatert-samobranka, a self-spreading (and self-cleaning) tablecloth. We consider this magical mystery and offer a recipe for delightful pirozhki.

There is not a single Russian-born player in the American Baseball Hall of Fame. Yet if the tide of history had flowed just a bit differently, Victor Starffin might well have ended up in Cooperstown alongside Ruth, Gehrig, Killebrew and Mays.