this means that piping hot meals became a staple in the russian diet, with basic soups, fish or meat stew forming the base of the cuisine.

the rural people of early russia needed significant calories and heavy sustenance to start another day's labor the following day, so bread, rye, porridge, and potatoes were also used as necessary nourishment for the physically grueling days ahead.

the elite class were privileged with a different daily menu, that was more dependent on a number of different cultures and neighboring countries to russia - for instance, the techniques and sauces used in asian and european cooking were subsumed into russian cuisine.

russians got their noodles and wonton from the chinese, while cabbage, curd cheese, dried fruit and lamb had their roots in the mongol dynasty, dating back to the 1300s.