Soups & Mains

Soups in most Eurasian cultures are important dietary staples and often begin a meal or can be the main course. Many, particularly in older generations, consider a meal without soup to be incomplete. Other common mains include dumplings or pies, which can take many forms depending on the individual culture. Again, these can often serve various purposes, either acting as the main course, a side course, or even as dessert. The below resources concentrate on these items, but also other types of traditional main courses, presenting them in bilingual recipes and with histories and descriptions of the food’s current place in the modern culture that consumes them.

Filter recipes for: Slavic, Turkic, or Caucasian.
See also: Food Traditions

Many of these foods may have various regional or national names and/or variations. We have tried to reflect that in the articles as well.

Pierogi, Pīrāgi, Varenyky: A Tour of Pastries and Dumplings

The dumplings and pastries of Europe’s northeastern flank have a story to tell. Their recipes, etymologies, and related traditions are intertwined in a complex historical knot. There are so many ancient connections that it is almost impossible to say which influenced the next. And yet, each dish is held up as a unique and integral […]

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