The reason for this trip will be local delicacies of the Pskov and Smolensk regions, as well as farm traditions of the Moscow region. You will visit a real cheese dairy and an apiary, learn how to bake bread, have lunch in Pushkin style, taste dishes unknown before. Gastronomic adventures will be diluted with walks in nature reserves (when you still walk in the swamps!) and ancient Russian cities.
This day we will spend in the fresh air - visit two family farms, learn about the secrets of cheese production, try bread by an old Russian recipe and Yakut delicacies.
The first stop of our gastronomic journey will be the family farm Kornevs in Istra district. The family has been engaged in agriculture, breeding animals and poultry for almost thirty years, and recently offers tours of the farm. On the farm you can feed goats and rabbits, go for a walk in the fresh air, try the old Russian recipe of bread - and all this for free. Another interesting option is a field safari, during which you learn the secrets of farm life. After the tour you will be invited to tea in a cozy lounge area. The cost of paid excursion - only 200 rubles. To get to the farm, you need in advance [call the hosts](https://ferma-kornevo.ru/contact-2/) (the day and on arrival).
Lunch offered in a charming cafe "Lukovka" in Volokolamsk. There is no doubt that the place has "its own face": bizarre lampshades, paintings on the walls, colored chairs. The restaurant specializes in pizza - the choice will pleasantly surprise you. You can choose between classic or real Roman pizza. We advise you to pay attention to unusual options - for example, pizza with salmon and orange sauce, turkey and apples or pear and dor Blue cheese. In addition to pizza, the menu includes pasta, salads and desserts. Drink "occasional rosehip tea" or homemade compote.
In the afternoon we'll have a look at another farm held by Natalia and Vadim Krestiny. The farm is located near the Joseph-Volotsk Monastery, which itself deserves attention. On this farm you will be told and shown the process of making elite sorts of cheese and, of course, you will be given a chance to taste them. About the excursion it is necessary to agree in advance. A 15-minute drive from the farm, in the village of Novoe, is the guest house "New Manor". The owners of the estate are from Yakutia, and they bring delicacies from their homeland. For example, here you can treat yourself to stroganin and mare's milk - sitting in yarang, hiding and paintings from horsehair.
I offer to have dinner in a bistro "Samovar" in Zubtsov town. It is the best place on the way, where you can quickly, deliciously and inexpensively snack on homemade dishes of Russian cuisine. The average check is 250-300 rubles.
On the second day, we'll go (and pass) a little bit more. In the morning we will buy farm products at the rye market, then we will go to conquer Tver forests and swamps. We'll have a beautiful dinner: on the shore of Lake Zhizhitskoe in the Pskov region, in an elegant restaurant of Russian cuisine.
Indoor food market Rzheva immediately attracts attention. For starters - with its architectural solution. And second, the variety of products: local honey, a variety of sausages and cheeses, fruits and vegetables, delicious Korean pickles and marinades, homemade dairy products and dried fruits. Prices here are about 30% cheaper than in Moscow. Buy at the food market to your home and on the road: in a couple of hours you will have a long forest trip. *" The market is only open on weekends, 08:00 to 17:00.
The reserve in the southwest of the Valdaja Hill is a perfect place for a walk. Six environmental trails, ranging in length from 900 metres to 20 kilometres, continue through the territory. I suggest choosing the most popular route No. 3 - "Verkhovoye bog - Staroselsky moss". The length of the route is 17.5 km. Partial access by car is possible, and then the route will be about 5.5-7.5 km. On this way you will get acquainted with the ethnography of the last village in the reserve, flora and fauna of the southern taiga. The section of the path passes through bogs - the path is equipped with a boardwalk and an observation tower. In the forests you can find traces of wild animals - bears, wild boars and elks. The meat of these animals is also used in the kitchen of the Tver region. On the way, you'll meet "The Curly Parking". Of course, the Curviches never lived on it. But the name is chosen not casually: Krivichi and Slovene were the first Slavic tribes which have come in 1 thousand AD to territory of Russian Plain. On a table in a gazebo it is convenient to lay out food and have a delicious lunch.
After the excursion in the reserve we continue our way to the west. On the way we will stop at the town of Western Dvina. The town is famous for milk production and woodworking industry. There is a cute park and a water tower, which was built at the beginning of the last century. Interesting: on Nekrasova Street you can find an old Jewish cemetery. The last burial is said to have happened in 1994. It turns out that once there was a large Jewish community in the Western Dvina.
Dinner at the restaurant "Volyn", on the shore of Lake Zhizhitskoe. The menu contains the best dishes of Russian and European cuisine, created from the products of our own farm. For example, here you can taste an olive of pheasant fillet with red caviar, triple ear with garden roots and fish pie or Zhyzhitsky line with aromatic herbs.
In the morning we'll go for a walk in the swamps of the Polistovsky reserve, and after the walk we'll be refreshed with "zhezhenka" and flapjacks with blueberry compote. In the afternoon we'll spend in the Pushkin Mountains: find out what dish the great poet has invented, taste his favorite delicacies and buy edible souvenirs made by the monks of Stolbushinsky monastery.
The study of the gastronomic side of the Pskov region will begin with the Polistovsky Reserve. It is the largest supreme marsh system in Europe and the best place for digital detox. There is no cellular communication, let alone the Internet. In the reserve you will not only be guided along the bog trails and ride on a "mad stool" on a narrow gauge, but also properly fed. In the guest house in the village Cevlo (where several sightseeing routes start) you'll be treated to traditional Pskov region dishes: harcho with pearl croup or "rye", winter flapjacks, sour cabbage. A compote of blueberry and cranberry tincture can be a separate reason for a visit. The tour has to be booked in advance. For excursion it is necessary to have rubber boots, preferably higher. In memory of visiting the reserve you can buy herbal tea collections from the Polistava swamps.
From the food of the village we'll move on to the kitchen of the nobility. At the hotel complex "Altun Manor" there is a restored old barn, which houses a restaurant. Here guests are offered to make a gastronomic excursion to the Pushkin era. Restaurant visitors will be served with a bottle (beet with fish) or soup with brisket, a large chopped veal cutlet stuffed with spinach. For dessert - blanmange, gooseberry jam by recipe of nanny and golf apple pie. All these dishes were the poet's favorite. Oh, yeah, the side dish is served with boiled, slightly fried Pushkin potatoes. They say that Alexander Sergeyevich himself invented a tricky recipe for potatoes. One day the poet sat down with his friends and came home when everyone was asleep. Pushkin did not wake the servants, but decided to cook dinner himself. He fried yesterday's cold potatoes in butter, putting a frying pan in the oven on the coals. Subsequently, Alexander Sergeyevich repeatedly treated the guests with this simple but hearty dish. *Orders for "Pushkin's lunch" are accepted for groups of 15 or more people, so individual guests should leave a request for lunch in advance. In any case, it is necessary to visit this institution: no one has left here yet hungry.
At 18 km from Pushkinskie Gory, in the village of Stolbushino, rises Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. To support the old temple, there was an idea to organize the production of natural products in the skete, which since ancient times glorified Pskov region. All goods are made by hand. Honey knockdown, 12 herbs and spices are in particular demand. Also here they make jam, juices of cold pressing without sugar, candied fruit, stewed berries and Ivan tea by special recipes. The leaves of this plant are picked by hand. There is no trade in the hermitage itself, as it is an active monastery with strict rules. You can find food in the Pushkin Mountains: in the church bench of the Svyatogorsk Assumption Monastery (where the poet's grave is located), in the parking lot near the cafe "Svyatogor", at the entrance to the museum "Mikhailovskoe" from the side of Bugrovo (Arina-R Hotel).
We'll stay in the Pushkin Mountains for dinner. In the restaurant "Zaozerie" you can be supplemented with dishes of European and Russian cuisine. The menu is standard, though something will pleasantly surprise you: "Olivier" with crayfish necks, pikeperch rolls with lemon chips, cutlets and dumplings made of moose.
Let's get out of the car and have a rest in the vicinity of Lake Dubets. The lake is large, but with swampy shores, it is surrounded by mixed forest. It is a favorite place for fishing among locals: there live bream, perch, pike and other fish species.
In the morning, we'll visit the real apiary and try the honey chocolate. Then we'll gaze at the ruins of an old distillery and drink tea and cakes at the house of Yuri Nikulin. We'll spend the evening in Smolensk. In one of the best restaurants of the city we'll taste regional dishes: get ready for the pancake attack!
Not far from Chistoe Lake, in the village of Tronino there is the only eco-tourist apiary in the Pskov Region "Bee Farm". Here you can learn about the history of beekeeping, bee life and honey production. The excursion includes tea drinking and tasting of bee products, workshops on making candles from wolf or honey chocolate. A visit to the Apidomics (sleep on hives) is also available. In memory of this wonderful place you can buy honey, pollen, wax, propolis, handmade candles. Excursion costs 300 rubles, master classes - from 200 rubles. You should make an appointment for the excursion in advance by phone or in [social networks](https://vk.com/beehoney.farm).
Let's stop for a while in the village of Usvyatye, which is almost on the border with Belarus. Not far from the route you can see the ruins of the distillery of the Korvin-Kurovsky brothers. The distillery was erected here in 1876 and was considered the largest in the region. The factory was severely damaged during the Second World War. After the war it was converted to beer production and 40 years later to carbonated beverages. But a devastating fire in 2002 put an end to the long history of the factory. The massive red brick ruins are still awe-inspiring - you can't miss them.
Home Cuisine" cafe is one of the first cafes that you will get after crossing the Smolensk Region border. Nourishing and inexpensive food, polite and responsive staff, charming design of the hall - there is nothing more to wish for a late lunch!
Demidovsky region presented the country with nine Heroes of the Soviet Union. And also Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin was born here. The house where the legendary actor was born and spent his childhood is not preserved. But he was recreated from photographs and placed in it a cultural and tourist complex. The atmosphere here is incredibly warm and hearty, there are a lot of old photographs hanging everywhere - as if Yuri Vladimirovich himself had really come to visit. The owner of the complex will gladly tell you about the actor's life, and at the same time will give the guests tea and cakes.
We'll spend the rest of the evening in Smolensk. There are so many interesting things in the hero city that it is impossible to get around it in a couple of hours or even a day. But we will try!
I offer dinner in one of the best restaurants in town, "Dungeon". The average bill here - 1500-2000 rubles per person, but it is worth it. In general, Smolensk cuisine is largely determined by geography. For example, there are plenty of mushrooms here, so there are enough fine dishes of mushrooms. The influence of the neighboring countries, from which the tarsmen borrowed the best in the culinary sphere, is felt. So what do you want to try in the Dungeon? Mushroom juicy cutlets with baked potatoes or wild mushroom pancakes. There are a lot of pancakes here - for the whole company you can take "Horse pancakes from Fyodor Konya": 1 kg of pancakes with different additives. The owners assure that the borscht in this restaurant is the most "right" - it is served with rye toast and ice cream lard. In general, Smolensk borsch is more similar to Lithuanian and Polish versions - necessarily of two types of meat, but without cabbage and potatoes. Only baked beet and roots, and the taste is created by lemon juice and sometimes a drop of port.
We will spend almost the entire fifth day of the trip in Smolensk. We will walk around the city, visit war memorials, admire the view of the city from high hills. We will also visit the workshop, where we will be taught to bake bread and tell about the traditions of drinking in Russia.
Let's take a walk around Smolensk. Get acquainted with the architectural and park ensemble in the heart of the city, learn the history of the fortress wall XVI-XVII centuries - the longest in Europe. Climb the high hills of Smolensk, where the ancient church and the Holy Dormition Cathedral are the city's visiting cards.
Let's dilute the theme of Russian culinary art with Italian overtones. We'll go to lunch at Peter Push restaurant. Here you will find a full set of the best Italian dishes - from risotto and pizza to pasta and ravioli with various fillings. As they say, bellissimo!
I recommend to visit the creative workshop "Smolenskaya Hut" in Smolensk. There are two interesting gastronomic excursions. The first one is called Traditions of Russian Bread - you will be told about traditions of baking and kinds of yeast-free bread, and then you will be invited to taste different kinds of bread and pancakes and honey. The second excursion is devoted to traditions of drinking in Russia. Here you will learn about the origin of Russian vodka and taste traditional Smolensk hop drinks with delicious snacks. This excursion is conducted only for groups from 20 people, so it makes sense to call the workshop in advance and try to join one of the groups. Always available alternative - individual lesson in painting cookies or gingerbread house glaze. Cost of such service 1700 rubles for 1-3 people.
Finally we'll visit a very important place - the memorial "Katyn". It is located on the site of the tragic events of 1930-1940s and is dedicated to the residents of Smolensk region, who became victims of political repression and shot Polish prisoners of war. It is one of the few complexes in our country dedicated to the tragedy of the bloody epoch of Stalinist repressions. You can just walk around here and think. Or better yet, use the services of a guide who will tell you all the versions of those terrible events.
It's a great trip, isn't it? And for it to be dynamic, come to the Gazpromneft filling station, take water and a snack.
Roadside restaurant "Leonid" in Safronovo is a real oasis in the desert for tired travelers. Careful service, fresh food, excellent serving. The service of borsch is especially delightful: soup is served in cast iron, with lard, pampouches with garlic and a pile of ice vodka.
From Vyazma we will bring traditional Vyazma gingerbread, in Gagarin we will have a look at the Russian hut and taste openwork pancakes with heat and dust. We will stop for fresh farm produce at the eco-manor "Vankovo" and finish our trip in a beautiful Georgian restaurant.
Beaten cakes began to be baked in Vyazma back in the XVI century. It is believed that there were eight gingerbread factories in the district, whose owners tried to outdo each other in terms of beauty of products and originality of the recipe. Honey, nuts, candied fruit and spices were obligatory components of the dessert. A broken gingerbread is already a brand of Vyazma. Like the old times, the gingerbread is made by hand, and the pattern is applied on it with a special fake board. You can buy local sweets at the bakery shop. By the way, the gingerbread can be stored for up to three years: the perfect dessert!
Let's take a walk in Vyazma. Perhaps there are no towns with so many architectural and historical monuments like Vyazma that survived the war. If you leave museum visits out of the way, you can have a quick look around the city in a couple of hours.
We'll have lunch at Cafe Ballroom. It got its name thanks to the bear, which lives in an enclosure on the territory of the complex. Careful serving, adequate prices - this is quite a solid place for a nourishing and fast lunch.
The town of Gagarin in the Smolensk region was called Gzhatsky until 1968. After the feat of Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin, a native of this place, the city was renamed. A memorial museum was opened here in honor of Gagarin, which is definitely worth visiting. And next to the complex there is no less interesting museum, which corresponds to the theme of our delicious journey - it is "Izba Tea". The building of the museum is a Russian hut with household items from the past centuries. There is also a Russian stove with beds, and samovars, as well as clay jugs, pots, towels with embroidery, dolls, etc. The museum also works as a cafe. Facility's owner conducts master classes on making lace pancakes, which can then be tasted with tea. You may order denser lunch, though there are literally a couple of items on the menu. By prior arrangement, Gzhat offers to organize Gzhat's parties and ritual feasts with traditional treats.
Let's go to the eco-farm "Vankovo" to buy home farm products. The owners of the farm assure that they have completely abandoned growth stimulants and antibiotics, and guarantee ecological production of all their products. What you can buy here: dairy products, chicken eggs, goat cheese, goat meat and lamb meat.
There is a cozy restaurant "Kinto" in the Green Grove, on the 51st kilometer of Minsk highway. It serves Georgian dishes: khinkali, dolmu, khachapuri. The original is kuchmachi, a traditional dish made of giblets.