On of the most famous is Borscht. It's a soup made from beetroot, cabbage, potato and meat, but it can also be vegetarian.
Another typical Russian soup is Shchi. It's also a soup based on cabbage and meat.
It's a very popular dish. These two dishes have their origins in the distant past when most people lived in the country, worked hard and ate a lot. Which explains why both dishes are quite rich.
Key ingredients are potatoes, dill, aubergine, dried or smoked fish, salamis and mayonnaise. In fact if you go shopping in a supermarket in Russia you will see that the biggest and most varied selections are in delicatessen, mayonnaise and vodka.
Buckwheat is also a popular ingredient in Russian cooking and is a much appreciated addition.
But the most popular food, for both Russians and foreigners, are blinis. True Russian blinis are more like pancakes than the blinis you buy in British supermarkets. There are even Russian fast-food chains that specialise in blinis. Blinis are generally served with a sort of sour cream called smetana. They are usually savoury, but there are some sweet versions.
Another thing that is striking about Russian eating habits is how much they love tea. They drink tea all day long but especially in winter.
So although Russia is not world famous for gastronomy you can eat very well and cheaply in Russia. The products are often local and fresh and have genuine taste to them (at least they do if you know the good places to go shopping and don't go to the supermarket chains).