For many fans of food and football, a World Cup in Russia is unfamiliar territory.
Russian cuisine has a reputation for being stodgy, unimaginative fare. While that may have been true for many in the days of Soviet supply shortages, a new generation of Russians in the World Cup’s host cities mix together influences from across Europe and Asia.
Russia’s imperial past also makes it a great place to encounter unfamiliar dishes from neighboring countries like Georgia’s spicy stews or Central Asia’s hearty rice-and-lamb concoctions.
Here’s a look at what you can eat in Russia:
SANCTIONS
Russia’s food scene was shaken in 2014 when the government banned the import of most foodstuffs from the European Union and the United States. That was in response to international sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
That’s driven up prices for some ingredients, particularly fruit and dairy products, but also stimulated a revival of Russia’s agricultural sector.
Cheesemaker Oleg Sirota wants to use the World Cup to sell his tilsiter, parmesan and gouda from his creamery near Moscow.
”We will be testing our cheese on football fans who are coming to the World Cup. There will be lots of them, the French national team will be staying two kilometers (1.25 miles) away from us,” he told the Associated Press. ”I hope that even the most sophisticated clients won’t tell our cheese from European ones.”
Sanctions also mean top-end restaurants, particularly in Moscow, have started reimagining obscure Russian dishes, working with meats like boar, venison and even bear.