Cheese Comrades: Politics, Preservation, and Dairy Products in Russia

There is a cheese black market in Russia. Underground cheese dealers pedal their wares out of hidden backrooms in corner shops or set up clandestine online stores (Sgarro, 2015). Why the need for such drastic measures to obtain cheese? Politics, poverty, and a deep love for dairy. 

Little has been written about Russia’s dairy culture. In the Oxford Encyclopedia of Cheese, neither Russia nor any neighboring Eastern European country is included despite producing and consuming unique cheeses. Internationally, dairy in Russia is discussed in terms of imports, exports, and milk production rather than the products consumed and the role they play in Russian cuisine and culture. To study the role of dairy products in Russia, without going to Russia, sites promoting Russian culture to a wider audience are the main resources. These sites may or may not be supported by the Russian government (the online news site Russian Beyond, which serves as a news site to Russians living abroad and as a promoter of Russian culture to the wider world, is transparent about receiving funding from the Russian government. How much funding and how much autonomy they have is not clear.) However, from these and more reputable sources, I have pieced together a picture of Russia’s dairy culture, a culture based on ingenuity, preservation, and a love for microbes and dairy.

Roughly, Russian dairy products can fall into three categories: fermented drinks, yogurts, and other. The line between fermented drinks and yogurts is not always clear, and others may argue for a greater breakdown of categories. There appears to be a plethora of original dairy products in Russia, some of which are made in similar to identical ways and all of which are produced differently from household to household. Thus, there are too many dairy products to discuss them all here, but I will attempt to give a sense of what the dairy industry looks like and its role in the cuisine in Russia.

The majority of Russian dairy products come in the form of fermented milk drinks. Fermenting milk prolongs its self-life. The lack of refrigeration, the reliance of peasants on family dairy animals, and the deprivation of the Soviet Union necessitated the development of methods of preservation. The basis of most fermented dairy drinks in Russia is baked milk, or toplenoe. The traditional Slavic drink is made through prolonged heating without bringing the milk to a boil. 

Baked milk versus regular milk. Source: Honest Cooking http://honestcooking.com/russian-baked-milk/

Ryazhenkaand varents areboth made by adding sour cream to baked milk. Russians consider both drinks good for your health due to the probiotics, and they are popular with people trying to lose weight (Sorokina, 2018). A fermentation agent, usually sour cream, rye bread, or an acid, is also used to make the fermented milk drink prostokvasha (Ibid). Other fermented milk health drinks include kefir and kumis. Traditionally from the Caucasus but now a part of Russian cuisine, kefir is a fermented milk drink made by adding specific bacteria strains to milk. The drink is served in kindergartens and hospitals, usually with dill and parsley. It is popular with people trying to lose weight, and is used in dishes like okroshka, a chilled soup with a kefir base. Kumis is a traditional fermented mare’s milk drink in Bashkiria, Kalmykia, and among nomadic people. The bittersweet tasting drink is low in alcohol content (~3 percent) and is considered a super food that can improve metabolism and increase energy (ibid).

Kumis, a fermented mare's milk drink, comes from Kazakh culture where the horse is considered a gift from the Gods. Source: INDY Guide https://indy-guide.com/en/articles/what-is-kumis-and-why-we-need-it.

 While there is a never-ending variety of fermented milk drinks in Russia, there are only a few types of yogurts. Bulgarian yogurt is popular in Russia. An unstrained yogurt made from Lactobacillus bulgaricus, a native Bulgarian strain that is one of the most common yogurt cultures around the world, it has a tart flavor and creamy, loose texture. In contrast, Russian yogurt, also an unstrained yogurt, has a tangy and less tart taste and thicker texture (Krieger, 2017). While both yogurts are popular in Russia, coming in cow and goat milk varieties as well as different flavors, matzoon, a Caucasian cousin of yogurt, hold the title of “nectar of longevity.” Popular in Russia’s South, Georgia, and Armenia, it is believed to lower cholesterol levels, aid digestion, reduce blood pressure, and prevent early aging (Sorokina, 2018). 

The other main dairy products are sour cream (Smetana) and tvorog. Sour cream is a key ingredient in Russian cuisine, and it is one of the most popular condiments, served with and in practically everything. Tvorog is similar to cottage cheese, farmer cheese, or quark. A thick curd cheese, slightly drier than cottage cheese and with a slightly sweet, fresh taste, tvorog can be eaten with sour cream (of course), milk, or jam for breakfast. It can also be used as a filling in blini (crepe like pancakes) and boiled dumplings (vareniki), or it can be fired into thicker pancakes (cyrniki) with raisins or nuts or used in baked goods (sweet pierogies). It is also a popular food for babies due to its high protein content (Sorokina, 2018).

Cyrniki are thick pancakes made with tvorog. These are often served with sour cream and berries. Source: Gastronomiac https://www.gastronomiac.com/lexique_culinaire/cyrniki/.

Despite the pervasiveness of dairy in the Russian diet and cuisine, in the past decade the Russian dairy industry has struggled to meet demand. Half of Russia’s total milk herd is at household farms, and dairy farming in Russia is the least industrialized sector in the Russian economy. In 2016, Russia had 7.55 million milk cows producing 30 million metric tons of milk, but that number has decreased as commercial dairies increase milk production while “backyard farms” decrease output (Archwamety, n.d.). Part of the problem is the dairy industry is an unattractive profession to Russians. Lack of financing and modernization, volatile milk prices, downward tending margins, long payback period on investments, a history of inconsistent implementation of state dairy programs, increased use of vegetable oil substitutes by processors, dependence on consolidated chains, and declining demographics and lack of skilled workers in rural areas all contribute to the lack of young Russians entering dairy farming (Ibid).   

As a result, Russians relied on imports from the United States and European Union. However, in 2010, after a disagreement over product certification, the U.S. stopped exporting dairy products to Russia. Then in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, prompting trade sanctions from the U.S., the E.U., and other countries as they boycott Russian products. Russia responded with counter-sanctions that barred a number of countries’ imports into Russia, including dairy products. Once the E.U.’s largest dairy export market, receiving a third of its cheese exports and a quarter of its butterfat shipments, Russian dairy imports plummeted; in 2013, Russia imported 466,000 metric tons of cheese and curd, nearly half its cheese consumption, and in 2014 that had dropped to 349,000 and then 216,000 metric tons in 2015 as the E.U. dried up as a source for cheese (Ibid).

The annexation of Crimea by Russia caused further conflict when they turned their eyes to Ukraine. The Ukraine conflict has still not come to a conclusion. Source: The Liberty Web http://eng.the-liberty.com/2014/5308/

The embargo represented an opportunity for Russian dairy producers, and in 2015 new local brands entered the market. However, these brands proved unsuccessful with consumers for two possible reasons. First, Danone is Russia’s leading producers of traditional dairy products, including tvorog, and of overall dairy products in the country. Danone is, ironically, a France-based company that first entered Russia in 1992 and was the first foreign company to invest in the Russian economy at a time of democratic transition and high volatility. In 2010 Danone acquired Russian dairy giant Unimilk, and in 2016 they were the category leader, holding 25% value share of drinking milk products, 19% value-share in yogurt and sour milk products, and a 21% value-share of other dairy, which includes chilled snacks, condensed milk, cream, fromage frais, and quark (Archwamety, n.d.).

Second, there is a pervasive, and illegal, use of palm oil in dairy products, particularly cheese. Up to 50% of dairy products in Russia have been adulterated with palm oil (Sgarro, 2015). Palm oil cheese is part of a long history of counterfeit foods in Russia. Soviet era shortages resulted in local producers taking advantage of loopholes to political constraints and consumers’ habituation to counterfeit products and repackaged counterfeit products as legitimate. Today, consumers enter grocery stores with a heavy dose of skepticism. Distrustful of products and brands, consumers only buy products if they know where they come from or friends and family have recommended them (Ibid). The use of palm oil is illegal, and if Russian law enforcement detects dairy processors of using palm oil in violation of technical and labeling regulations, the processor is charged a fine. However, these fines are small and typically do not motivate processors to stop the illegal practices (Archwamety, n.d.). Local cheese makers have tried to respond to “fake” cheese; between January and April 2015, production rose 29.5% from the same period in 2014, but milk production decreased 0.5%. However, the devaluation of the ruble from the import ban caused food price inflation, hurting local cheese makers (Sgarro, 2015).   

The sanctions war has resulted in hundreds of tons of smuggled food products, particularly dairy products, being seized and steamrolled or incinerated by Russian authorities. In one raid in 2015, Russian authorities seized 470 tons of cheese (Angerer, 2018). The average Russian consumer has been the hardest hit in the sanction war. Food prices have skyrocketed, and product availability has dried up. However, almost five years into sanctions and farmers are rejoicing. The government began investing more in their agricultural sector, making it the fastest growing sector in the Russian economy. The dairy industry has expanded rapidly, rushing to fill domestic demand for aged cheeses. Then in July 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the embargo on food products would continue to the end of 2019. While the ongoing sanctions appear to allow the Russian dairy sector to grow, strengthen, and develop their own brand, how much has this actually benefitted consumers? Russia has a history of unique, healthy dairy products, but these products will never be recognized internationally if Russia stays closed off. Probably more troubling still, Russian consumers will not be able to afford the new dairy products produced from the sanctions war due to inflation. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Russian dairy industry in the next decade. With the dismantling of sanctions, will Russian aged cheeses become internationally recognized? Will renewal of E.U. imports hurt the progress made by Russian dairy farmers? We will have to wait and see.

Russian authorities destroy hundreds of tons of banned Western foods, especially cheese. Source: NY Times https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/world/europe/russia-destroys-piles-of-banned-western-food.html.

Want to eat like a Russian? Just add sour cream! You can easily make your own. Technically this is the cheating version, but you are still “souring” cream. Put a cup of heavy cream into a jar (mason jar works best) and add a teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Shake well. Take the top off the jar and securely place a paper towel or cheesecloth over the top. Let sit for 24 hours. The cream should thicken and have a more sour taste. However, it will not look as thick as the sour cream you buy in the grocery store. Put the top back on the jar and store in the refrigerator. Consume it as a condiment, side dish, or sauce with everything! Soups, dumplings, sandwiches, desserts, etc.

Works Cited

Angerer, C. (2018, Mar 4). Putin’s sanctions war created a Russian cheese industry overnight. NBCNews. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-s-sanctions-war-created-russian-cheese-industry-overnight-n847101.

Archwamety, R. (n.d.). Global politics, local economy shape Russia’s Dairy trends. Cheese Market News.Retrieved from http://www.cheesemarketnews.com/articlearch/passport/russia.html.

Krieger, E. (2017, Oct. 11). Sorting out the countless yogurt options, from Greek to Bulgarian. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-healthy-yogurt-options-20171011-story.html.

Sgarro, V. (2015, Jul 9). Russians sniff out real cheese as imported dairy ban lingers. National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2015/07/09/despite-dairy-ban-some-russians-sniff-out-real-gouda-and-gorgonzola/.

Sorokina, A. (2018, May 24). Everything you wanted to know about Russian dairy products. Russia Beyond. Retrieved from https://www.rbth.com/russian-kitchen/328347-russian-dairy-products.