Our region is rich in cultural heritage. Neighboring St. Petersburg are various small ethnic groups. Today, we share stories of three national cuisines whose dishes can still be found in the area.

Vepsian Cuisine
The Veps live mainly in the eastern part of the Leningrad region. Their cuisine is renowned for dishes made from wild ingredients: mushrooms, berries, and nuts. A typical treat is the kalitka, an open pie filled with potatoes, millet porridge, or cottage cheese. Veps also enjoy onions and unusual flavor combinations with them. For example, they prepare a soup with blueberries, onions, salt, and water. This soup is usually eaten with rye bread.

Izhorian Cuisine
Izhorian cuisine is simple. It predominantly features fish, grains, and root vegetables. People often prepare fish soup, oat jelly, and flatbreads made with kefir or sour milk. Local fish like burbot, pike, and perch are used in the fish soup.

Karelian Cuisine
Karelians, relatives of the Veps and Finns, also use simple, hearty ingredients. One of their main dishes, like the Veps, is kalitka. They also make a Karelian pie with rice porridge.