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Zakuski is a Russian appetizer buffet served before meals or at parties, consisting of hot and cold dishes. The tradition dates back to the 1700s and includes vodka, but modern versions may serve tea or coffee. Cold dishes include sandwiches, fish, meat, salads, and cheeses, while hot dishes include vegetables, seafood, and meat.
A zakuski is a traditional Russian appetizer spread. These foods are typically served as an appetizer buffet before large meals or at parties and receptions, and the spread includes a variety of hot and cold dishes. Vodka is also traditionally served alongside zakuski, but some modern versions might serve tea or coffee.
The tradition dates back to the 1700s, to a time when tsars and aristocrats served these appetizers to important guests who entered their homes and gathered outside the dining room. Many of these visitors traveled long distances and the zakuski was meant to appease their expected hunger before the main meal. Foods were usually set out on a large table for guests to choose from. Although this practice began as an upper-class tradition, since the 1800s, zakuski tables have gradually become more common among other classes as well, especially around holidays and special occasions.
The term itself comes from the Russian verb zakusit’, which essentially means “to take a small bite.” Zakuski is technically the plural form of the name, but it can be used in a singular sense in describing the overall spread of appetizers. The singular form, zakuska, refers to a single food item included among the spread, and zakusochnyi stol refers to the zakuska table on which the dishes are placed.
Individual customs vary by region, but many zakuski include three cold dishes and three hot dishes. Other items, including plates, forks, napkins, shot glasses, and vodka bottles, are typically placed on the same table for convenience. Some modern customs may serve Russian tea with these appetizers, or even coffee if the host uses zakuski to replace a formal dinner and includes desserts among other foods.
Both cold and hot dishes often include various types of sandwiches, fish, meat and eggs. Salads and cheeses are also common cold dishes. Vegetable salads or salaty iz ovoshchei include raw vegetables, such as lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, and green onions, as well as cooked or pickled vegetables, such as beets, turnips, and sauerkraut. Freshly salted herring, anchovies or other fish often appear among the other cold offerings. Other common cold additions include hard-boiled eggs, halved and stuffed, as well as cold cuts, such as slices of ham or roast beef and liver pate, served with bread.
Hot zakuski choices often include vegetable dishes such as stuffed tomatoes and mushroom julienne. Salmon, pike, eel, crab and other seafood selections can be poached, fried or baked and served in sauces. Hot meat dishes include sausages and cooked tenderloins or ribs of beef, pork, lamb or poultry. Pirozhki, pastry shells filled with numerous savory or sweet fillings, are often stuffed with cabbage, sauerkraut, mushrooms, or meat when served at the zakuska table.
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