We learn about peculiarities of the Novgorod cuisine from the ancient tales and letters.

The people of Novgorod had such dishes on their tables as ognivo (thick soup made of fish fins), lips of a moose, white meat of a lynx, fried swans and long time boiled bear paws.

The Novgorod cuisine had a lot of fish dishes. In the 18th century they caught lake herring, Baltic taimens and even sturgeons!

Today the Ilmen pike perch is one of the favourite dishes of people in Novgorod and guests of the city.

You can try the traditional Novgorod food in the restaurants of our city.

From ancient times the people of Novgorod were famous with their skills in kvas and ginger bread making.

The first ginger breads were made on the Novgorod land in the 9th century. The job of the ginger bread maker for many centuries was very prestigious. The unique handmade printed ginger bread production traditions exist in Veliky Novgorod to this day.

According to the first Novgorod chronicle – one of the ancient written sources – the first kvas in Russia was made in Veliky Novgorod. In the housekeeping book written by Silvestr, a Novgorod resident, there are 43 kinds of kvas, which was prepared by people of Novgorod. 400 years later Nikola, kvas from Novgorod, is still one of the most famous kvases in Russia.

People in Novgorod were not acquainted with sugar, but honey was very valuable. Honey gathering was very wide spread. The bees were not kept on purpose, so the honey was taken from the wild bee trees. The Novgorod honey is gathered far from the industrial and agricultural plants, that is why it has some special unique taste and fragrance.

Archaeological findings evidence that Novgorod people kept orchards with apples, cherry, raspberry, black-currant, and forests of Novgorod region was always rich in berries.

In the Red Izba tourist information center (5 Sennaya square) you can buy the souvenir ginger bread, local honey, Nikola kvas, Uspolon mineral water etc.

Treat yourself, your family and friends with tasty and healthy souvenirs from Veliky Novgorod!