Posted on May 11th, 2012

Have you ever wondered what Russians have for breakfast?
We may enjoy a lot of different things for breakfast. Some prefer to skip the most important meal of the day and have a quick cup of coffee, while others like to have bread with butter and jam or honey and tea. Russians also like eggs, cereal, oatmeal, pancakes or a sandwich for breakfast.

Today, you will learn some interesting vocabulary that will inspire you to talk about breakfast in Russian.

Eggs for Breakfast

Who doesn’t like full traditional English breakfast on a lazy Sunday morning? I know I do. My favorite are scrambled eggs. Here is some useful vocabulary that will help you describe traditional English breakfast in Russian:

Яйцо [yay-TSO] egg
Варёное яйцо [va-RYO-na-ye yay-TSO] boiled egg
Яйцо вкрутую [yay-TSO fkroo-TOO-yoo] hard-boiled egg
Яйцо всмятку [yay-TSO FSMYAT-koo] soft-boiled egg
Омлет [am-LYET] omelette
Яйца-пашот [YAY-tsa PA-shot] poached eggs
Яичница [ya-EESH-nee-tsa] fried eggs
Яичница-болтунья [ya-EESH-nee-tsa bal-TOON’-ya] scrambled eggs
Яичница-глазунья [ya-EESH-nee-tsa gla-ZOON’-ya] sunny side up, you can also call it “глазунья”
Ветчина [vyet-chee-NA] ham
Бекон [bee-KON] bacon
Сосиска [sa-SEES-ka] sausage, for example, frankfurters or hot dogs.
Колбаса [kal-ba-SA] sausage, for example, Polish sausage
Сыр [SIR] cheese

Cereal Lovers

Cereal and oatmeal, whether it’s freshly made or instant have become increasingly popular in Russia. For example, I love my cereal with some berries and milk in it.

Now, here is an interesting fact. It seems that it’s impossible to describe word “cereal” using only one Russian word. According to lingvo.mail.ru, “cereal” is “блюдо из круп, злаков в виде хлопьев, употребляемое с молоком на завтрак”. Sounds intense, right? You are lucky if your cereal is made from corn only, then you can easily call them кукурузные хлопья [koo-koo-ROOZ-ni-ye HLOP’-ya].

Овсяная каша [af-SYA-na-ya KA-sha] (porridge, oatmeal) is also very popular in Russian speaking countries nowadays. If you are looking for a more spoken way of saying “oatmeal” or “porridge” you can say овсянка [af-SYAN-ka].

You will be surprised at how popular “овсяная каша” is in Russian speaking countries. There are many different varieties of “овсянка” in Russia, and you can get them at most grocery stores or at the farmers’ markets. “Oвсянка” is considered one of the best foods to help you loose and maintain healthy weight, and this is exactly why Russian girls like it.

Another Russian favourite is мюсли [MYOOS-lee] muesli. If you enjoy cereal or a freshly made oatmeal in the morning, you probably add some:

Молоко [ma-la-KO] milk
Йогурт [YO-goort] yogurt
Фрукт [FROOKT] fruit
Ягода [YA-ga-da] berry
Изюм [ee-ZYOOM] raisin
Орех [a-RYEH] nut

Pancakes

Pancakes are another Russian favourite for breakfast. Usually, pancakes are served with sour cream, honey or jam.

Хлеб [HLYEP] bread
Тост [TOST] toast
Блины [blee-NI] thick pancakes, thinner pancakes are called блинчики [BLEEN-chee-kee]. Try this wonderful pancakes (блинчики) recipe.
Оладьи [a-LAD’-ee] small round pancakes. You can also use a diminutive version of this word – оладушки [a-LA-doosh-kee]
Масло [MAS-la] butter
Сметана [smee-TA-na] sour cream
Мёд [MYOT] honey
Варенье [va-RYEN’-ye] jam

Beverages

Сок [SOK] juice
Фруктовый сок [frook-TO-viy SOK] fruit juice
Апельсиновый сок [a-pyel’-SEE-na-viy SOK] orange juice
Вода [va-DA] water
Чай [CHAI] tea
Чёрный чай [CHOR-niy CHAI] black tea
Зелёный чай [zee-LYO-niy CHAI] green tea
Кофе [KO-fye] coffee
Сливки [SLEEF-kee] cream
Сгущённое молоко [sgoo-SH’O-na-ye ma-la-KO] you can also call it сгущёнка [sgoo-SHON-ka] – a more spoken version. Usually we like to put “сгущёнка” in our coffee, although some like spreading on bread, pancakes or cakes, or just eat by spoonfuls… 
Сахар [SA-har] sugar

Here is an interesting word:
Сахарозаменитель [sa-ha-ra-za-mye-NEE-tyel’] sweetener
You can also call it заменитель сахара [za-mye-NEE-tyel’ SA-ha-ra] sweetener

Breakfast Verbs in Russian

Here are few interesting verbs:
Готовить (завтрак) [ga-TO-veet’] cook, make
Делать (завтрак) [DYE-lat’] cook, make
Делать (кофе, чай) – you can also use word “делать” when talking about making tea or coffee.
Намазывать (хлеб маслом) [na-MA-zi-vat’ HLYEP MAS-lam] spread butter on bread
Кипятить (воду)[kee-pya-TEET’ VO-doo] boil (water)
Заваривать (чай) [za-VA-ree-vat’ CHAI] make (tea)
Добавлять (молоко, сахар) [da-bav-LYAT’] add (milk, sugar)
Размешивать [raz-MYE-shee-vat’] mix
Кушать [KOO-shat’] eat
Есть [YEST’] eat
Пить [PEET’] drink

Breakfast Adjectives in Russian

And a few adjectives to help you talk about your breakfast in a more colorful way:
Свежий [SVYE-zheey] fresh
Ароматный [a-ra-MAT-niy] aroma
Горький [GOR’-kiy] bitter
Вкусный [FKOS-niy] tasty
Сладкий [SLAT-keey] sweet
Солёный [sa-LYO-niy] salty
Полезный [pa-LYEZ-niy] good for you
Хрустящий [hroos-TYA-sheey] crunchy
Калорийный [ka-la-REEY-niy] high-calorie
Безкалорийный [bes-ka-la-REEY-niy] low-calorie
Тёплый [TYOP-liy] warm
Горячий [ga-RYA-cheey] hot
Холодный [ha-LOD-niy] cold
Аппетитный [apye-TEET-niy] appetizing

Hope you enjoyed this article. Can you think about any other breakfast words in Russian? You can share them by leaving a comment below.

Have fun learning Russian,

Viktoria.

Related Posts:

• Anglicisms in Russian Language
• 10 Romantic Phrases from the Romantic Russian Video Course
• Fruits and Berries in Russian
• Video: Most Common Russian Greetings
• Learning Russian through Fairy Tales

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