Very thin shavings of completely frozen raw fish, traditionally prepared from species such as muksun, nelma or whitefish. The fish is sliced directly from the frozen carcass and eaten immediately, often with salt and pepper. 1)
A particularly prized version of stroganina made from muksun, a rich and delicate whitefish of the Ob-Irtysh river system. The freezing process gives the fish a clean, almost buttery texture while preserving its natural flavor. 2)
A simple soup made from freshly caught river fish, water and a small selection of roots or wild herbs. The restrained seasoning reflects a culinary tradition in which the quality of the fish itself is more important than a complicated broth. 3)
Nelma, a large northern whitefish, can be boiled, baked or cooked over an open fire and accompanied by locally gathered herbs. It is one of the characteristic fish of the Ob basin and an important traditional food of western Siberia. 4)
Fish such as whitefish, pike or perch can be cleaned, salted and dried in the cold Siberian air. Dried fish is lightweight, durable and particularly convenient for people travelling through the taiga or along the rivers. 5)
Freshwater fish is traditionally preserved by smoking over wood, producing a strongly aromatic food that can be kept for considerably longer than fresh fish. Birch and other locally available woods contribute subtle differences to the flavor. 6)
Reindeer meat is roasted or stewed and served with tart lingonberries gathered from the taiga. The berries cut through the richness of the meat and provide a characteristic combination of northern Siberian flavors. 7)
Moose is slowly roasted or stewed until tender, sometimes with onions and wild herbs. Game meat was an important source of protein in the forest zone, where hunting complemented fishing and gathering. 8)
Wild duck can be roasted and served with lingonberries, cranberries or other forest fruits. The sweet-and-sour berries provide a natural accompaniment to the rich meat of migratory waterfowl. 9)
Fresh or dried wild mushrooms are cooked with potatoes, onions and sometimes barley or other grains. Mushroom gathering provides an important seasonal supplement to fish and game and also produces ingredients that can be dried for winter. 10)
Milk mushrooms and other edible fungi are layered with salt and preserved for the winter. They can later be served cold with onions or used to enrich soups and other dishes. 11)
Cloudberries are eaten fresh, mashed with sugar or turned into preserves and desserts. Their intense orange color and distinctive sweet-tart flavor make them one of the most prized berries of the northern taiga and wetlands. 12)
Tart cranberries are boiled and thickened with starch to produce a smooth, jelly-like dessert. It is an excellent example of how wild berries could be transformed into a filling winter food. 13)
Pine nuts gathered from Siberian pine forests can be added to grain porridge, giving it a rich, oily flavor. The nuts were an especially valuable forest food because they provided concentrated energy in a cold climate. 14)
Fresh or preserved river fish is enclosed in dough, sometimes together with onions, potatoes or grains. The Russian tradition of the rybnik became a natural complement to the much older fishing culture of the Ob-Irtysh region. 15)