The meal is built in layers. It opens with zakuski, small savory or pickled bites laid out on the tablecloth. Then comes pervoyé, the 'first': a hot, hearty soup that serves as the heart of the meal. Vtoroyé, the 'second,' brings a more substantial dish, sometimes sweet on festive days. Throughout, and especially at the end, the samovar steams in a corner and pours chai, that boiling tea drunk at length, accompanied by jam and black bread. In revolutionary times and in exile, these layers shrink, but the order remains in memory.

Two gestures run through this entire cuisine. The samovar, a large copper urn, keeps the water simmering for hours and allows for zavarka, that concentrated tea which is diluted to taste. And smetana, thick sour cream, crowns with a white spoonful the borscht, vareniki, and pirozhki — the gentle acidity that marks the Eastern table.