March 17, 2024

A Pancake a Day...


A Pancake a Day...
Delicious, but not nutritious. The Russian Life files.

How many Russian pancakes should you eat during Maslenitsa? Probably none. But if you were going to, Izvestia has you covered.

A recent article by the state-owned news agency recommended eating only one or two blini at a time. After all, according to the article, blini are full of carbs and fat (and plenty of calories) but absent just about everything else.

Should that recommendation be too stringent, the piece does allow a cheat day: a healthy eater could have one day to indulge in as many as six or seven of the sweet snack. Of course, there's also the filling: fruit and jam are recommended over something less healthy.

Maslenitsa, or "Butter Week," is Russia's version of Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, and Mardi Gras: it marks the beginning of Lent with a celebration tinged with pagan influence but leading to Orthodox Easter. During the week, participants eat fatty and indulgent foods (like blini) that won't be permitted once Lent begins. often, Russians burn an effigy-witch to mark the end of winter and the start of spring.

Whether or not many Russians take heed of this nutritional recommendation is yet to be seen, but we're doubtful. And there is this sobering tale by Anton Chekhov, about the consequences of over-eating blini.

 

You Might Also Like

Russian Pascha
  • January 23, 2001

Russian Pascha

Easter is the most important celebration of the Russian Orthodox Church. Find out what constitutes a traditional Pascha meal and read the Patriarch's message.
A Holiday for Every Occasion
  • February 22, 2018

A Holiday for Every Occasion

Traditional celebrations like Maslenitsa are accompanied by new ones, like Chinese New Year. The party never stops!
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
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.
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.
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.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

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