Ideas for a Russian Themed Party
Russia is such a vast country, with so many diverse and different cultures, that it's impossible to define just one style of cooking, or type of drink, as being the thing that encapsulates
what Russia is all about. Russia - or
The Russian Federation to use its full name - covers 17m km², almost twice the size of the USA and almost 70 times the size of the UK,
and shares borders with nations as diverse as Poland, Norway, Finland, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, North Korea and Mongolia, so you can imagine how diverse its culture and culinary styles are.
Russia Party Decorations
Decorate yourself and your room with Russia shirts, flags and scarves (see links, right,
or
search for Russian kit on Kitbag.comg(512634)a(1759159))
).
If you're serving food, search for red, white and blue table covers, napkins, plates, cups and
cutlery on our general
General Party Supplies Page
For bunting, flags, balloons and more
Russian Party Decorations Ideas,
visit our
European Flags & Decorations Page
As for colour schemes, in addition to the above ideas, anything else you can find in red, blue and white will help create the right atmosphere.
Food for a Russian Themed Party
Russian cuisine derives its varied character from the many peoples who live within and adjacent to its borders. Many traditional dishes are derived from peasant food of the rural population in an often harsh climate,
using locally available fish, poultry, game, mushrooms, berries, honey, rye, wheat, barley, and millet. Flavourful soups and stews are popular, using whatever fish, vegetables and meat
are in season. This native Russian cuisine remained the staple for the vast majority of Russians well into the 20th century.
However, over the last 5 centuries influences from neighbouring states have crept into Russian cooking, with those who could afford to do so importing produce such as smoked meats and fish,
chocolate, ice cream, wines, and liquor, which all gradually found their way into Russian cooking. Austria and France - although not near neighbours - had particularly strong cultural
influences in Russia at certain times, and this remains to this day in certain dishes. In fact, many of the foods that are considered in the West to be traditionally Russian
actually come from the Franco-Russian cuisine of the 18th and 19th centuries, including for example dishes such as Veal Orloff, Beef Stroganoff, and Chicken Kiev.
Try some of these next time you are throwing a Russian football party:
Savoury Recipes
Russian Chicken Ptichki
Russian Beef Stroganoff
Russian Chicken Kiev
Russian Baked Fish
Sweet Recipes
Russian Gingerbread Pryaniki
Drink for a Russia Themed Party
There area plenty of options drinks-wise when
throwing a Russian football party.
Tea is by far the most common drink in contemporary Russia. First introduced to Russia from China in the 17th century, its popularity has since spread throughout the country.
Black tea has always been the dominant variety of this drink, but after the Russian acquisition of Central Asia, awareness of and interest in green tea began to increase slowly.
Today Russia remains one of the largest tea consumers in the world.
As for alcoholic drinks, the most famous Russian drink is of course Vodka
, which is made from either grain or potatoes, and is popular throughout the vast nation. It is sometimes flavoured
with chillies or berries and fruits, such as raspberry
or
orange
.
Beer is also extremely popular, and in fact Russia is apparently the fourth largest beer producer in the world, although not much of it is exported to the West.
Some wine is also produced, especially in the more southern regions, but it is not as popular as beer, and not much is exported.
