People often ask me, “What is Russian food like?” and that’s an interesting question. Russia is a vast country, with 11 time zones and multiple climates, from northern to southern, from forest to seacoast, from flatlands to mountains, so there is a lot of variety in cuisine.

An even more interesting question might be, “What is Russian eating like?” because across all those time zones and climates, in the most rural and the most cosmopolitan areas of the country, there is a common focus and attitude toward preparing and eating food.