One of the best things about travelling in Russia is all the delicious street food you can enjoy while being on the road. Caspian News checked out some of the most popular food stalls and dishes worth trying in Russia and put together a list of the top five most mouthwatering treats worth trying when you visit the world’s largest country.

Chebureki

Chebureki might look like a hybrid of a calzone and a large dumpling, but once you’ve tried it, you will realize it’s not – but just as delicious as either. These deep-fried pies are traditionally stuffed with mix of minced meat, onions and multiple spices, but you can also get them with cheese and vegetables.

You can try this gastronomic pleasure in the Cheburechnaya Druzhba fast-food café that has been around for nearly 40 years. With high tables, no chairs and just one dish served, this place is famous and has an aura of Soviet times. So, don’t miss a chance to taste delicious Russian chebureki, Soviet style, when you visit Russia.

Syrniki

Syrniki is a delicious and popular dish in Russia made from creamy quark – a dairy product made by warming soured milk and straining the curd – mixed with flour, eggs and sugar, sometimes adding vanilla extract. The most popular way to eat this pancake-like dish is with different toppings ranging from savory sour cream to sweet honey.

The word syrnik in Russian may be translated as “made of cheese,” which is surprising, since there is no cheese inside, only curd. The Russian word syr meant “curd” before hard cheese came to Russia from France in the 18th century. That is why all the dishes like syrnik, syrok and syrnaya massa made of curd but named after cheese.

You can find syrniki in every Russian restaurant and supermarket, where they are sold in a frozen type, and bring them from Russia back home as the sweet and tasty present for friends and family.

Ponchik, or Pishka

Donuts are to Americans what ponchik, also called pishka, are to Russians. Sprinkled with powdered sugar these round, fried pillows of goodness are the inverse of donuts – being the hole – and are best served warm.

The secret to delicious ponchik is sweet farmer’s cheese, a staple in the Slavic kitchen. Other key ingredients are sour cream and rum, which get mixed together with flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

In St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk, the dish is called pishka, which in English means “dumpling.”

Bliny

Bliny, a tasty treat served either sweet or savory, are the pride of the Slavic kitchen. Bliny are the Russian equivalent of French crepes, thin pancakes made with yeasted dough folded around fillings such as sweet cheese, ground meat, or salmon roe. These traditional Russian pancakes are usually eaten for breakfast.

You can try them in one of Russia’s largest fast-food chains, Teremok, where one can find an array of bliny and their traditional accompaniments like sour cream and sticky preserves made of strawberries or cherries.

Pirozhki

Russian mini pies called pirozhki are one of the most popular traditional Russian street foods. Pan-fried or oven-baked, these pies come in many different shapes and can be stuffed with multiply fillings.

Besides the typical meat and potato fillings, there are cabbage, peas, cheese, mushrooms and other goodies. You can order pirozhki in a restaurant as an appetizer, or enjoy one as a quick bite from a street stall or bakery.