Slavic Feast!

Going back earlier last week I hosted a dinner celebrating Slavdom with courses from the Southern Slavs (Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Slovenia), the Western Slavs (Poland, Czech Rep., Slovakia), and the Eastern Slavs (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus). For three days I ran around to various Russian and Polish markets and cooked for hours on end in preparation. In the end I think it went splendidly, and I was surprised at how much people enjoyed the food (or at least how much they consumed). Let's recap the courses!

First Course (South Slavic)
шопска салата - Bulgarian feta, tomato, roasted red pepper, cucumber, and onion salad
ајвар - Macedonian spicy red pepper spread
burek - Bosnian meat and cheese phyllo pastries
pašteta - Croatian pork pâté
пълнени чушки със сирене - peppers stuffed with Bulgarian feta

Second Course (West Slavic)
bigos - hearty hunter's stew with cabbage, mushrooms, apples, tomato, pork, sausage, and bacon
buraki z boczkiem - beet salad with bacon
pierogi ruskie - Ruthenian pierogi with potato, cheese, and onion filling
kiełbasa -fried Polish sausage
ogórki kiszone - homemade pickles
sałatka rosyjska - Russian vegetable salad

Third Course (East Slavic)
naleśniki z serem / блинчики с сыром - crêpes with sweet cheese filling
Шармэль - chocolate-covered marshmallow
сливы и миндаля торт - Plum and Almond Tart (note: poor translation into Russian)


Beverages
srpska šljivovica / српски шљивовица - Serbian plum brandy
българска ракия -Bulgarian grape brandy
Żubrówka - Polish bison-grass vodka
Столичная - Russian vodka
Żywiec - Polish lager
Pivovar Zlaty Bazant -"Golden Pheasant" Slovak Lager
Staropramen -Czech "premium" beer
Okocim~Leżajsk~EB~Warka -Assorted Polish beer
sok jabłko mięta - apple mint juice
сок клюквы и землянки - cranberry and wild strawberry juice
сок клюквы, черники, голубики и ежевики cranberry, bilberry, blueberry, and blackberry juice
квас - fermented rye beverage