What Does Vladimir Putin Eat?

As you may have read in the media, Vladimir Putin invited foreign journalists for a dinner-interview at his dacha near Moscow last week. We got the usual report of his highly predictable views on the elections, the opposition, corruption in Russia, the situation in Syria, relationships with the US, etc… But instead of reporting answers that we all already know, wouldn’t it be more interesting to tell us what was served for dinner?

I found little information in the Western press about V.V.P.’s meals, but a Google search in Russian returned a few articles. First, there’s the president’s usual hangout in Saint-Petersburg, where he apparently orders the same dishes lunch after lunch. There are also a couple of records of the dinners that were served to him and George W. Bush during the latter’s visits to Russia. Sadly, no mention of the infamous Vladimir Poutine.

If you’ve had the chance to eat with Vladimir Vladimirovich, or have simply come across an article mentioning a few dishes that were served to him, please write a comment!

George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin take a sunset walk on a pier along the Black Sea in Sochi, April 5, 2008. (White House photo by Eric Draper)

Vladimir Putin’s lunch at Podvorye restaurant in Saint-Petersburg

Czar’s fish soup from sturgeon, salmon and toothfish, cooked in chicken broth
Assorted cold cuts (boiled beef with spicy sour cream and garlic sauce, cranberries, home-made sausages, roast pork, chicken roulade, boiled beef tongue, salted pork fat, smoked bacon)
Smoked sturgeon with lemon and butter
Desserts

Dinner menu served to Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush at the Sochi dacha in April 2008 (source here)

Venison Filet with Marinated Mushrooms in Raspberry Sauce, Vegetable Salad
Blini with Red Caviar and Trout
Veal Tenderloin with Baked Potato in Red Currant Sauce
Salmon and King Crab Coulibiac
Berry Pie with Ice Cream
(The original article also mentions that Bush was served chicken Kiev and cherry varenyky in Kiev earlier that month)

Menu served to Vladimir Putin, George W. Bush, and their spouses at Lindström’s Dacha restaurant at the Constantine Palace in Strelna in July 2006 (source and pictures here)

Salad of Astrakhan Tomatoes with 50 Years-Old Balsamic Vinegar
Crawfish with Sweet and Sour Gooseberry Marmalade
Oladi with Black Caviar
Cranberry Sorbet
Fried Smelt and Ladoga Whitefish, Turnips and Baby Zucchini
Steak with Lingonberry Sauce
Wild Strawberry Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce

Looking for more menus from the Kremlin? Check out my next post here!