" I was astonished,
at one Russian dinner, which I was assured was thoroughly national
in style, to meet with the homely roast leg of mutton and baked
potatoes of my native land. Like the English, the Russians take
potatoes with nearly every dish--either plain boiled, fried, or
with parsley and butter over them. Plum-pudding, too, and boiled
rice-pudding with currants in it, and with melted butter, are known
in Russia--at all events in Moscow and St. Petersburg; and goose is
not considered complete without apple-sauce. As in France, every
dinner begins with soup; but this custom has not been borrowed
from the French. It seems to date from time immemorial, for all
the Russian peasants, a thoroughly stationary class, take their
soup daily. The Russians are very successful with some kinds of
pickles, such as salted cucumbers and mushrooms; and they excel
in salads, composed not only of lettuce, endive, and beetroot, but
also of cherries, grapes, and other fruits, preserved in vinegar.
The fruit is always placed at the top, and has a very picturesque
effect in the midst of the green leaves.
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