September 02, 2007

Blini


Blini (BLEE-nee) are small, leavened buckwheat pancakes which are traditionally served with sour cream, caviar or smoked salmon. The singular for blini is blin.

Blini is, traditionally, eaten during Shrovetide, an ancient Russian festival, which originated to celebrate the beginning of spring and the god Volos (Veles). Volos was the god of animals, pets and especially cattle. With the introduction of Christianity, Shrovetide marked the onset of Lent and was closely watched by the Church. The pagan god, Volos, was replaced with St. Blasius, patron saint of domesticated animals. While its original roots are in the Roman Isis Feast, most of us, in the West, know the feast of Shrovetide as Mardi Gras.

Slavic tradition, blini was a ritual food served as an offering to the deceased. Today, restaurants often serve blini as an appetizer. While it is appropriate to eat blini anytime of the year, it is still seen as a holiday tradition. Russian-Americans enjoy this treat when celebrating Thanksgiving in their new country and it is a must at any Christmas celebration.

Variations

BLINI is a flour crepe, but with yeast. The batter has to rise, and the size is roughly 7 inches (17 cm) in diameter. They are just under a 1/2 inch thick (1 cm) and toppings or fillings are served on the table. These might include clarified butter, sour cream, hard boiled eggs, pickled herring, smoked salmon, green onions, red or black caviar, all are basic staples for the meal.

BLINCHIKI is also a flour crepe, but no yeast is used. They are slightly larger in diameter and thinner. These are typically eaten with cabbage fillings, meat, mushrooms, rice or cheese. You can also stack them up high, and put jam in between. Slice them up as a piece of cake.

OLADI: is like a flour crepe, but thicker (almost like a U.S. pancake) and baking soda is used. The crepes are thick, and fruit, such as apples, is often added to the batter.

Basic Blini Recipe

Ingredients
about 1.5 lbs. flour
4-5 cups milk
3 tblsp. butter
2 eggs
2 tblsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. dry yeast

Preparation
1. Dissolve yeast in 2 cups of warm water. Add half of the flour and mix until smooth. Cover with a cloth and set aside in a warm place for about an hour, or until the batter becomes bubbly.
2. Add salt, sugar, egg yolks, melted butter and mix thoroughly.
3. Add remaining flour, a little at a time and beat until smooth. Gradually add milk, mixing batter completely.
4. Cover batter with a cloth, set aside in warm place and allow to rise. Beat batter back down, add whipped egg whites, let rise. Pour small portions on hot griddle and fry, turning once to cook on both sides.

Another Blini Recipe:
Buckwheat Blini with Caviar and Smoked Salmon

 

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955