A Taste of Russia: Okroshka

Russia has had a difficult time building a culture with the tsarist and Soviet expansion. Many older generations only know of the Soviet cultural experience, because the Communist Party controlled and shaped daily life and social practices. Today many minority cultures are developing by reinventing their ethnic pasts. Russia is known for its philosophy, architecture, food, politics, etc. A very important symbol in Russian culture is Moscow's Saint Basil's cathedral with its colorful cupolas representing the country's long Orthrodox history. Many postcards, calenders, and posters are filled with images of the beautiful Saint Basil's cathedral. Many older cities like Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, and Yaroslavl reflect Russia's complex and violent histories using architectural styles of Baroque, Renaissance, and Neoclassical. In the more urban cities are huge public parks where people spend time walking around, talking, playing chess, or reading. To unite the many ethnic groups, Russians speak in metaphors talking about soul dusha, which refers to the many ethnic groups uniting under a single multinational identity. Since the end of the Soviet repression, many holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Russian Independence Day are celebrated. Russian cuisine hasn't changed, its foundations began long ago with different kinds of meats, fruits, vegetables, and rich stews and soups. For lunch, soups like okroshka are eaten with cabbage, potatoes, and ground meat cutlets. There are 3 types of soups: hot and cold. Okroshka is a cold soup that can be made with kvass (bread-based drink) or sour milk that is mixed with vegetables, meat, and fish. When making okroshka you put in a neutral tasting vegetable and a spicier vegetable such as a green onion to give it more flavor. Here is a variation recipe on okroshka that is a perfect for a warm summer day since there are no substitutes for kvass:

Ingredients:

1 cup meat, cooked
1 cucumber
2 eggs, hard boiled
3 onions, green
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sour cream
4 cups apple cider

It is served with ice cubes in it. Dice meat. Peel and dice cucumber and eggs. Slice green onions. Combine first four (4) ingredients. Mix together sugar, mustard, sour cream, and cider, and beat well. Add beef mixture and chill. Serve sprinkled with dill. Enjoy!

sources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cuisine,
http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Russia.html,
http://www.dailymunch.com/recipe-collection/soup/okroshka.html