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Rus: Zakuski the Appetizers of the Rus - Part 1

© Dr. Donald R. Houston

No matter where you go throughout the Rus, you will find a plethora of food. This is especially true when you attend a party or formal affair but even just visiting someone's home as well. Appetizers, canapes, finger-foods whatever you call them are called zakuska plurally zakuski. They come from all of the far corners of what was once Imperial Russia & later the Soviet Union.

Usually a table is piled high with zakuski, sometimes multiple tables groan under the sheer weight of the zakuski. Pickles, smoked meats, smoked fish, dried this & that, jellied offerings, breads and much, much more wait to tempt the personal appetites of the unsuspecting & the erudite alike.

In this part of this article I will present cold zakuski to you. I have annotated at the end of each recipe who gave it to me & where they were at the time.

Title: Aselila - Egg Salad
Categories: Georgian, Ethnic, Egg, Salad, Appetizer
Yield: 4 Servings

4 ea Eggs
3 tb Butter soft
1/4 c Walnuts shelled ground
2 tb Minced cilantro
2 tb Fresh dill minced
3 tb Scallions white part
1/2 ts Salt
1 tb Adzhika**
3 tb Pomegranate seeds
*NOTE: The creamiest salad is to be made this way.

**NOTE: This is a condiment from Georgia & the recipe is further along in another article.

Mash eggs with soft butter, ground walnuts, dill, minced cilantro & scallions white part & 1/2 ts salt.

Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top of the salad for garnish.

Refrigerate for 2-6 hrs.

This is used as a salad or as an appetizer dip/spread. It is excellent on toast points.

ORIGIN: Dr. Tatyana Levrudnadzhe, Tbilisi-Georgia , circa 2003

* * * * *

Title: Sult-Jellied Veal
Categories: Beef, Estonian, Ethnic, Appetizer
Yield: 6 Servings

1 1/2 lb Fresh pig's knuckles
- cracked with a cleaver
1 ea Onion un-peeled
2 ea Carrots peeled sliced
- to 1/8" rounds
3 qt Cold water
4 ea Whole black peppercorns
5 ea Bay leaves
6 tb Salt
7 ts Garlic minced

In a heavy 6 qt casserole, combine veal, pig's knuckles, onion, carrot & water then bring to a boil over high-heat. Skim foam & scum from surface as they rise to top.

Add whole peppercorns & bay leaves, reduce heat to low then simmer partially covered for about 3 hrs. until veal is tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork.

Zakuska-Platter

Estonian-Sult

Ukrainian-Pashtet

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