Ingredient appreciation — what makes Olivier Salad special

What sets Olivier Salad apart is the handling of pickled vegetables. In lesser versions this is treated as a background note. Here it's central and the savoury and satisfying result shows it. I've started buying it to cook with at home after this experience.

the Russian tea tradition using a samovar is centuries old and central to social hospitality. The a dacha summer kitchen atmosphere was right for this kind of food. I had kefir as recommended and it matched well. If you want to understand what makes this cuisine distinctive, Olivier Salad is the place to start.