The Russian court meal under Alexander I blends two worlds: it opens with zakouski (cold savory or pickled hors d'oeuvres eaten standing, accompanied by vodka), continues with a foundation soup (pervoïé blioudo, hot in winter, iced in summer), a hot dish (goriatchéïé) often of noble fish or game, and closes with sweets and honey drinks (napitki). Onto this peasant and Orthodox skeleton is grafted the French refinement of the chefs of the Saint Petersburg court.

The soul of Russian taste is neither sweet nor spicy but living acidity: fermented rye kvas, smetana (sour cream), mushrooms and cabbage in brine. It is this tangy freshness, born of the need to preserve during the long winters, that distinguishes the Russian table from the French cuisine that dresses it on the surface.