How I spent a flight over Russia, reading recipes and dreaming about delicious food

2025-03-15

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I'm sitting by the window, the endless expanses of Russia are floating below me, and in my hands is a phone that has become my guide to the world of culinary fantasies. The flight from Moscow to Novosibirsk promised to be long, but fortunately, there is Wi-Fi on the plane. Having connected, I decided not to waste time and went to povar.ru — a site where recipes come to life like fairy tales. It's minus 50 outside, but my soul is already warm from thoughts of hot pies and aromatic soups. I'll tell you how I spent these three hours in the sky, leafing through articles and dreaming of a delicious life.

Take-off and first course: hello, syrniki!

The plane had just taken off, and I was already scrolling through the "Breakfasts" section on povar.ru. My eyes lit up when I came across "Cheesecakes with raisins and vanilla". The photo — golden, fluffy, with a ruddy crust — was so inviting. The author of the recipe, a certain Svetlana from Perm, described everything down to the last detail: 500 grams of cottage cheese, a couple of eggs, a pinch of vanillin and a handful of raisins soaked in warm water. While the stewardess was serving tea, I imagined myself mixing the dough, and the kitchen was filled with a sweet aroma.

The article included a story next to the recipe: Svetlana recalled how she cooked these syrniki for her grandchildren on a rainy day. I smiled - there was no rain on the plane, but the coziness was the same. Clouds flashed under the wing, similar to whipped cream, and I decided: when I land, the first thing I'll do is bake the same. Only, maybe, I'll add a spoonful of honey - to set the mood.

Over the Urals: Soups That Warm the Soul

The hour of flight flew by unnoticed, and I switched to soups. Outside the window were the harsh Ural Mountains, and on the screen - "Cabbage soup with sauerkraut and mushrooms". The recipe from Olga from Yekaterinburg was like a song: cabbage, dried porcini mushrooms, potatoes and bay leaf. She advised to cook the broth on beef ribs so that the taste would be rich, and at the end to add a spoonful of sour cream - for tenderness.

I could almost smell the aroma - tart, homey, as if grandma was calling me to the table. While the plane was shaking slightly from turbulence, I read advice: how to soak mushrooms correctly and why it is better to squeeze cabbage slightly. A picture was already forming in my head: I am in my small kitchen, in an apron with daisies, cooking cabbage soup, and it is snowing outside. The flight turned into a journey not only around Russia, but also through its tastes.

Pies in the Sky: Baking Dreams

Halfway through I got to the baking and there it was, "Meat and potato pies". The author, Alexey from Samara, promised that the dough would be airy if you added a spoonful of melted butter. The filling was minced meat with onions and mashed potatoes seasoned with black pepper. The photo showed ruddy pies laid out on a wooden board, as if they had just come out of the oven.

I imagined myself baking them at home: my hands in flour, a mountain of filling on the table, and the oven humming, promising a cozy evening. Alexey wrote that his mother made such pies for family gatherings, and I suddenly remembered how I, as a child, helped my grandmother make dough. The plane was flying over the Volga, and in my mind I was already in Samara, with a plate of pies and hot tea in a mug with cats. Wi-Fi in the sky is not just a connection, it is a portal to a world where food becomes history.

Dessert over Siberia: Sweet Inspiration

When Siberian forests appeared under my wing, I decided to treat myself to something sweet - at least virtually. I found it on povar.ru "Honey cake with custard". Marina's recipe from Krasnoyarsk was a real treasure: thin honey cakes, cream with a hint of vanilla and a slight sourness from the sour cream. She advised letting the cake sit overnight so that it would become even more tender.

I was leafing through the step-by-step photos: here is the dough being rolled out into thin circles, here is the cream bubbling on the stove, and here is the finished cake, decorated with crumbs and a sprig of mint. The cabin smelled of the stewardesses' coffee, but I was dreaming of a piece of this "Medovik" that melts in your mouth. Marina wrote that the cake was her birthday present to her husband, and I thought: why not bake the same for my loved ones? The flight became not only a flight, but also a plan for the weekend.

Landing and plans: from the sky to the kitchen

The plane began to descend, and I was still scrolling through povar.ru, adding recipes to my favorites. In three hours in the sky, I found inspiration for the whole week: syrniki for the morning, shchi for lunch, pies for dinner and a cake for dessert. Wi-Fi on the plane gave me not just entertainment, but a whole culinary odyssey. The lights of Novosibirsk flashed outside the window, and I already saw myself at the market, choosing fresh cottage cheese and fragrant honey.

When the wheels touched the ground, I turned off my phone, but recipes and smells were spinning in my head. The flight over Russia became not only a journey through its expanses, but also through its tastes - from Ural soups to Siberian desserts. Now all that's left is to land, unpack my suitcase and head to the kitchen to make it all come true. Thank you, povar.ru, and thank you, sky, for three hours full of dreams of a delicious life.