Russian salad

You see “Russian salad” on a menu – but what will you get? Chances are, you’re in for the Olivier salad, or Russian salad, as it’s also commonly dubbed abroad. Apart from potatoes, it also contains sausage (or other meat), eggs, cucumbers and/or pickles, carrot, and peas – all evenly diced and abundantly coated in mayonnaise. The salad first appeared in Moscow in the 19th century and ever since has been a staple of any festive table in Russia; though its recipe has changed beyond recognition. 

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Russian mountains

Did you know that some people call roller coasters Russian mountains and some – American mountains? What’s with the names, you may ask? The thing is, the first roller coaster was in fact invented in Russia in the 15th century. These forerunners were different: they were made of ice and had no tracks or high speeds. Though carriages and tracks were added later on, the roller coaster as we know it today originated from the USA. 

Russian roulette

Fatalism is arguably the most Russian trait, so no wonder a life-or-death game of chance was called the Russian roulette. Echoes of the game can be found in Mikhail Lermontov's novel A Hero of Our Time. Players load one bullet into a six-chamber gun and then take turns spinning the chamber, putting the gun to their head, and pulling the trigger. The game was allegedly popular among some tsarist officers – but the term can also have originated from America. Nowadays, the phrase is often used figuratively: it means an act of bravado, a careless choice. 

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Russian dressing

Curiously or not, the Russian dressing didn’t come from Russia; it hails from the ‘20s America. But why Russian, then? The theory is that the original recipe contained caviar or some other type of seafood common in Russia – but this is still up for debate. Needless to say, that’s not how anyone makes the sauce today. It's made of mayonnaise and ketchup (a mixture also called кетчунез in Russia), plus some other add-ins – akin to Thousand Island but with a spicier kick.

Russian squats

The gym lingo is full of “Russian” exercises, one of which is the Russian squat. This is a deep squatting position – feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward, and knees in line with toes. So far, there isn’t one definitive theory about where the term comes from, but there are a couple of cultural references. One, a squat dance, or prisiadki, is one of the male dance moves in a traditional Russian dance. And two, this type of squatting may also be associated with Russian prison and gopnik subcultures. 

Black and White Russian

Though again not Russian in origin, Black Russian got its “Russian” part of the name as a nod to the cocktail’s main ingredient, vodka; back in the day, Russia was the main exporter of the drink. Black Russian was created in Belgium in the late 1940s, followed by White Russian some years later. The cocktail is simply vodka and coffee liqueur – plus cream for White Russian (hence the name). The popularity of the latter skyrocketed thanks to The Big Lebowski (1998), making it forever The Dude’s favorite drink.