Genshin Impact Snezhnaya Cultural Guide: Cuisine and Matryoshka

Snezhnaya, the northern land covered in eternal ice and snow, has finally opened its gates to Travelers in Genshin Impact Version 7.0, "Everwinter Without Mercy." As the last nation of Teyvat's seven to be unveiled, Snezhnaya holds many unique charms belonging to the snowy wilderness. Today, let's talk about Snezhnaya's cuisine and matryoshka dolls.

Snezhnaya Matryoshka Dolls

The most representative handicraft of Snezhnaya is none other than the matryoshka doll. Its presence can be seen across the streets and lanes of Snezhnaya, making it a popular item in souvenir shops along the roads.

Among the most popular are the matryoshka dolls of the two leading stars of The Korolevskiy Theater — Odette and Vodyanitsa. After Travelers purchase them in past story quests, they can also place them on the train as decoration. We look forward to the official release of physical Genshin Impact matryoshka dolls in the future.

Getting back to the main topic, the matryoshka is one of Russia's most famous traditional wooden crafts. The first matryoshka designed with a female image was created in 1890 by the artist Sergey Malyutin, inspired by Japanese Seven Lucky Gods toys. After this set of dolls won an award at the 1900 Paris World Expo, it quickly spread.

It is usually made up of a set of hollow wooden dolls painted with the same pattern, nested one inside another. Common ones generally have several layers. Super matryoshka dolls with more than ten or even over twenty layers are often quite expensive.

Its most classic image is a girl wearing traditional Russian folk clothing, named Matryona. This is a common female name in rural Russia. Its Latin root "mater" means "mother." Therefore, the matryoshka doll also symbolizes motherhood and fertility, as well as the meaning of "I am in you, and you are in me."

Snezhnaya Cuisine

Glupov Rye Bread

In the city, you can see merchants selling Snezhnaya's specialty foods. Among these foods, the most famous is still the rye bread.

This is the staple food of the people in Russia's cold regions. It comes in two types: black bread made of rye and white bread made of wheat. What is shown in the picture is the black bread. In Russian culture, bread is not just food; it also symbolizes having enough to eat and survival.

Borscht

The Snezhnaya specialty dish Borscht is based on a thick soup originating from the East Slavic peoples. Its signature purple-red color and unique flavor mainly come from the key ingredient, beetroot. In addition, beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage are usually added and simmered together. The most authentic way to eat it is to spoon a dollop of sour cream on top, which makes the soup even richer and thicker.

Podvorye Smoked Sausage

Podvorye Smoked Sausage is the signature dish of the Old Courtyard restaurant in Snezhnaya. Simply sliced and plated, it becomes a delicious dish.

Its real-world counterpart is the red sausage, a type of stuffed meat product originating from Eastern European countries such as Russia and Lithuania. Red sausage gets its name from its date-red color after smoking. It has a rich, savory taste, full of meaty aroma, with a distinctive garlic and fruitwood-smoked flavor. Its production is quite complex. It is mainly made with pork or beef, garlic, and various spices, stuffed into natural casings, and then goes through multiple processes, including curing, stuffing, baking, boiling, and fruitwood smoking.

Kvass

It is the signature drink of "Kvasnik," and it is said that no Snezhnayan can resist it. In the real world, Kvass can be traced back to 989 AD. It is a low-alcohol beverage (about 1% alcohol) fermented from dried bread in Eastern Europe, so it is also called "liquid bread." Its color is similar to beer, with a refreshing taste, a rich bread aroma, and fine bubbles.

That concludes the introduction to some of Snezhnaya's local culture. Snezhnaya still has many other distinctive local customs, and those are left for Travelers to explore on their own!