You can paraphrase this famous quote as follows. "Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are". If this is true, it would be interesting to know what Russian monarchs ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. After all, they can afford anything they want.
Peter I
Peter the Great is known for his progressive views. He took a lot of things from the West. However, he himself prefers Russian cuisine. The Tsar ate porridge and liked to drink cabbage soup. If we're talking about exotic species, we might associate roast meat with pickles. There seems to be nothing unusual about this. But lemon is also added to this dish.
As for drinking, on ordinary days, the emperor was limited to drinking only a single shot of fennel to satisfy his appetite. While eating, Peter drank kvass. Of course, it doesn't always do. There was a feast there. There, the Tsar could afford more.
Catherine the Great.
This woman loves to eat. But as she got older, she began to limit her intake of food — a doctor's advice. The queen loves to eat meat. And there are many kinds. The Tsar ate quail, chicken, pork and beef.
Catherine had coffee with cream and breadcloves for breakfast.
For lunch, she can offer up to 12 salads. Apparently, the Tsar did not eat them all herself. Those who dined with Catherine and ate after her were lucky.
Although she could eat all the way to the food, the Empress, like Peter, liked simple food. For example, she loves boiled beef with salted cucumbers. The meat was cooked for a long time - until it spread out.
A story confirms that Catherine is not picky.
The Empress once visited Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. Either the scientists didn't expect the queen's arrival, or he didn't have time to prepare. In short, Lomonosov complained that in his home only cabbage soup and porridge could be served. Catherine reassured the scientist, assuring him that it was her favorite food. It is important to remember here that the Tsar was not born in Russia. But she loved our cuisine.
Pavel Petrovich
Catherine's son wanted to feel like a soldier. And a Prussian. So he rejected all luxuries. Made him a simple meal. The same soup, porridge. The emperor happily ate sausages and cabbage, a traditional German dish--。 Paul did not refuse fortified wine.
Alexander I.
The emperor clearly had problems with the digestive system. Medical staff advised him to eat healthy foods. Tsar consumption: green tea with croutines, berries and fruits, kefir. His favorite dish is botvina, a cold soup fried with beet leaves. Alexander also liked caviar. Not just red and black caviar. He happily ate it.
Nikolai Pavlovich.
The emperor also "sat and ate the mountain and the sky." He was very restrained in his diet. In addition, Nicholas did not like alcohol and other beverages. He drank only water. He could occasionally taste the wine in the glass.
Foreigners write about Nikolai saying he ate cabbage soup with lard. On the face of it, we may be talking about borscht. Or soup.
Nicholas also ate some meat and fish for lunch. If we continue to talk about soup, it should be noted that Nikola Pavlovich often eats German soup. It is difficult to describe this recipe. What is known is that potatoes are cooked and beaten into a puree. This could be some sort of creamy soup.
The emperor's greatest hobby was pickling cucumbers. He ate about five servings in one day. No less, that's for sure.
Alexander II
For the emperor, this was not the most important thing. What matters is how. However, contemporaries pointed out that the Tsar ate European cuisine. The emperor liked to eat these and various other things outdoors. Ideal: When hunting. Alexander loved it. Naturally, the shooting game is cooked here. At that time, white tablecloths were spread out and expensive tableware was laid out.
Alexander III.
And the Tsar was not stingy about food. If he catches a fish from the river, it is cooked with potatoes. If the Tsar came to Moscow, he would order a piece of horseradish piglets.
Perhaps Alexander-Alexandrovich's greatest passion is sauce. He likes to add all sorts of subtleties to his dishes. The Tsar would often drink kefir.
Overall, surprisingly, the diets of the monarchs were simple, and Catherine liked varied and abundant food, but in her later years she refused large plates. It can be said that the real food of the Tsar was cabbage soup (borscht, cabbage soup) and pickles with meat.