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Taste
of
Russia in St Petersburg
. . . savouring the sites and culinary delights
 We
are familiar with food from all over the World. Baby
vegetables hustled from the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro
to the shelves of Sainsbury’s no longer merit a
second look. The cuisine of Japan or China is apparently
regarded by many restaurants as too boring to be presented
straight, and it has to be fused with something else
before it can be regarded as remotely interesting.
But
Russia, in terms of food, is still exotic, and it is
still only in Russia itself that the exoticism of Russian
food can be fully experienced. Only in Russia can you
go to a farmer's market and be offered a honeycomb to
sample, caviar in tubs, or grapes, arrived from Samarkand
that morning.
Russian
cuisine is much more than vodka and caviar, and Spoonful
Tours offer you the opportunity to discover the real
recipes and ingredients of Russia.
Russian cuisine is an ancient cuisine, based on traditional
peasant fare, consisting of all things home-grown, gathered
in the wild, hunted and fished. It is effortlessly seasonal,
often local, organic and home-preserved in the most
natural ways.
Russian
cooking was influenced by various neighbours, friends
and even enemies. The raised bread came from the Scythians,
kumis (fermented mare’s milk) from the Kazakhs
. . . rice and spices, including pepper, from Constantinople.
The
Mongols, who ruled Russia for two hundred and fifty
years, from the beginning of the Thirteenth century,
brought with them terror and death - and saffron, cinnamon,
the art of fermenting cabbage for sauerkraut, lapsha
– noodles, and pelmeni – Chinese-style dumplings.
Later they also introduced the tea that to this day
is Russians’ favourite non-alcoholic drink and,
by some accounts, the samovar.
From
the Caucasus came the shashlyk - lamb or mutton on the
skewer, roasted on an open fire - and from Turkey came
the pilaf and various sweets – khalva, Turkish
delight and sorbet.
Tsar
Peter the Great opened Russia to Western influences,
and French chefs quickly became fashionable. They introduced
new cooking tools, ingredients and techniques, and contemporary
Russian cuisine is a beautiful symbiosis of the two.
For
Russians food is integral to their culture, and it is
taken very seriously. Their traditions of hospitality
revolve around the table, and when they are away from
their homeland it is in Russian restaurants that they
congregate. Spoonful Tours offers you the chance to
experience this rich tradition at first hand.
 The
4-day foodie tour to St. Petersburg with Spoonful Tours
presents an opportunity to find out more about the fascinating
subject of Russian cooking, to discover ingredients
practically unknown in the West and to learn how to
make staple Russian dishes.
4
days – 3 nights
Day
1:
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16.10 |
Arrival, transfer to the hotel. |
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19.30 |
Welcome drinks and dinner at a traditional St Petersburg
restaurant. |
Day
2:
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09.00 |
Traditional
Russian breakfast of kasha and blini at the hotel |
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10.00 |
Sightseeing
tour of St Petersburg. |
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14.00 |
Lunch
at one of the traditional ethnic restaurants representing
the cuisine of one of the old soviet republics (Ukraine,
Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan) with explanation of
the recipes and techniques of the particular cuisine. |
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15.00 |
Free
time (possible additional Hermitage or Russian State
Museum tour, or visit to Russian sauna). |
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18.00 |
We
go to a fully-equipped cookery school or the professional
kitchen of one of the best St Petersburg restaurants. |
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18.30 |
Cooking
session followed by the dinner that you created. |
Day
3:
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09.00 |
Russian
breakfast at the hotel. |
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10.00 |
Trip
to the wonderful Kuznechny farmers’ market,
exploration of typical Russian ingredients, stocking
up on all things rare or unavailable in the UK,
including caviar and smoked sturgeon. |
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14.00 |
Lunch
at a traditional Russian restaurant, discussion
of the recipes involved. |
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15.00 |
Free
time (possible additional tour of the famous Baltika
brewery or a vodka factory). |
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18.00 |
We
go to a fully-equipped cookery school or the professional
kitchen of one of the best St. Petersburg restaurants. |
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18.30 |
Cooking
session followed by dinner that you created. |
Day
4:
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Russian
breakfast at the hotel |
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Free
time |
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Lunch |
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Transfer
to the airport |
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Price
includes:
-
Russian visa
- all
transfers in St Petersburg
-
hotel accommodation for three nights
- sightseeing
tour
- all
meals (some with alcochol)
-
cooking lessons
-
a special binder for your recipes
.
. . and your English-speaking Russian food expert
who will meet you at the airport and accompany you
on all food-related activities.
Price
does not include:
- airfare
- airport
taxes
-
surcharges
- tips
IF
YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL US <CLICK
HERE>
About
us
We
started life as travel professionals with Souvenir
Plus. For some years we took general-interest tourist
groups and individual travellers to Russia and Ukraine.
We are always happy to share our heritage with all
who are interested.
Russia
has a rich history and culture - it is famous for
its writers, poets, musicians, dancers and painters.
But we always felt that good food was excluded from
these tours, simply because in the hurry of an intense
sightseeing programme there is never time for a trip
to a truly outstanding restaurant, unless it is right
next door to a museum; and a leisurely lunch or supper
combined with a discussion of what is on the plate
is not of interest for everyone.
Kitchen,
cooking and long and abundant meals with friends and
family are the basics of Russians’ private lives
and without some idea about Russian food and hospitality
it is impossible to get a full picture of Russian
culture. We felt that we needed to cover this gap,
so in the winter of 2007-2008 we launched Spoonful
Tours: a true voyage of discovery to Russia –
for foodies!
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