Anna Kournikova at the table

The Russian table does not separate into starter-main-dessert but into moments: zakuski (small savory bites and pickles that whet the appetite), pervoye (the "first," a foundational soup), vtoroye (the "second," a filling grain or kasha), and sladkoye (the sweet, often a fruit drink or curd cheese). For a top-level sportswoman of the 1990s-2000s, this emotional foundation is reframed by nutritionists: keep the kasha and tvorog (rich in protein and slow carbs), lighten the smetana, multiply unsweetened compotes.

Toasted buckwheat is THE iconic Russian grain: gluten-free, high in protein, it is the comfort food every Russian child recognizes, and an ideal fuel for the athlete. Fresh dill, meanwhile, perfumes almost everything — soups, pickles, curd cheeses — and marks the cuisine of home.