At the Soviet table of the urban intelligentsia, meals are not divided into starter/main/dessert. One begins with zakouski (salted and sour hors d'oeuvres: pickled cucumbers, diced salads, black bread) which whet the appetite and accompany a drink. Next comes pervoïe blyudo, the "first course," always a hot soup (borscht, shchi). Then vtoroïe blyudo, the "second course" of resistance, almost always accompanied by kasha (grain porridge). The meal does not end with a cake but with tea from the samovar, served with jam. All winter long, jars of fermented preserves from autumn extend the lean season.

Thick sour cream (smetana) crowns almost every Russian dish: a white spoonful that melts into red borscht, binds kasha, softens the acidity of preserves. With fresh dill, abundantly chopped, it is the double flavor signature that links this entire cuisine, from the most modest everyday fare to the festive table.