As you gather with friends to watch the Olympics this weekend, why not prepare what they might serve in Sochi? Try, say, herring instead of chips.
But if you're really presenting food the Russian way, you'll need to make more than one snack. And get your libations in order.
Zakuski are often described as Russia's answer to tapas — a little bite to have with your drink.
They can be as simple as salted herring, or as rich as blini and caviar. Traditionally, when you welcome guests in from the cold (whether from the Moscow streets, or the hundreds of miles to a country estate), you give them a warming shot of vodka. And to protect your stomach and palate from the harsh vodka, you quickly follow it with a bite of zakuski.
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