Eating Russia: the Berezutskiy brothers at Identità Golose Milano

«Russian gastronomy is the result of ancient tradition and stories of different characters, of a cosmopolitan society, of an extensive land and a large range of ingredientia. For a long time it was associated to stereotypes like vodka and borscht. Its cuisine, however, has started a new era, with many chefs researching their culinary heritage, and professionals constantly working to give new value and rediscover the authentic flavours of an endless country. The Berezutskiy twins are a perfect example of this new generation». 

These are the words published a few months ago on this website by Polish reporter Benjamin Chalupinski, in his account of Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy’s Twins Garden in Moscow. It is the evolution of their first restaurant, initially called just Twins: over one year ago, the two twins changed address, and not just in terms of location. By opening the new restaurant, the Berezutskiys have also strengthened their farm-to-table approach, producing most raw materials themselves in a farm with some 50 hectares of land.

«Since we have a farm and fields of our own – the two Russian brothers tell us – we can first of all control the standard of quality of every product, starting from the seeds. We control what our animals eat, the water used in the fields. We work on quality and benefits that our clients can later enjoy in the products we present them. Another unquestionable advantage in farm-to-table is the utmost freshness of the ingredients, because every day we can pick our vegetables, use fresh milk for our cheese... we believe this approach is essential. For us, gastronomy starts from the seeds».

You can find out about this and much more, and taste it this week. Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy are our weekly guests at Identità Golose Milano, the International Hub of Gastronomy in Via Romagnosi 3, for four nights: starting on Wednesday 21st November, until Saturday 24th. It’s a precious, unique opportunity to approach the  fermenting and growing gastronomic scene of Russia, of which these twins, with Twins Garden, represent the avant-garde. 

«Fine dining is growing very fast in Russia – the Berezutskiys confirm -. For many years, when people dined out in Russia, they weren’t looking for Russian cuisine. This, however, has recently changed. We’re moving on, we’re evolving. We’re happy to receive this invitation to present our cuisine and our products, we’re happy to do so at Identità Golose, because it’s an opportunity for us to say something about our country and to have people taste our flavours. It’s very important to us. In Russia there are now many chefs at work with the right philosophy. There’s a growing team of Russian chefs who often travel around the world so that people can learn about their cuisine, and present Russian cuisine. It is our belief that only by working together, as a large team of cooks, we can promote Russian products and traditions, the flavours of our land, in the best possible way. We believe it is also very important to support the contemporary Russian gastronomic scene».

So let’s find out, in the words of the two chefs, the menu that Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy are presenting this week at Identità Golose Milano. 

We start with an amuse-bouche called The life of tomato: «This idea behind this dish is to tell the entire life of a product through its flavours: starting from the seeds, via the plant, the green tomato, up to the ripe one. This appetizer is presented in the shape of a macaron, entirely made of tomato, paired with a tomato wine, made with an original technique we invented ourselves».

The starter is Kamchatka Crab with feijoa and sour cream: «This dish unites the south and the far east of Russia, and thus presents a journey through the entire nation. Feijoa is a typical fruit from southern Russian, its season is now at its peak. The Kamchatka Crabis our pride, as well as an emblem of Russian gastronomy. The dish will also include Kamchatka Crab Caviar, very rare in Russia too, as it is almost impossible to find. This recipe is a perfect combination of two ingredients from very two different regions of our country».

After this, there’s a dish with a charming name, The Ecosystem of a Mushroom: «In Russia there’s this type of Boletus that usually grows near birch trees. We wanted to sum up this small ecosystem, made of birches and mushrooms, in just one dish. It is both liquid and solid, and offers different sensations to the guests. The dish includes mushrooms, birch leaves and bark, presented in two different textures».

The following dish is more minimalistic. Lamb and Cabbage: «This recipe is based on two very simple ingredients, both rich in umami. We only use lamb from our farm at the restaurant, but unfortunately we couldn’t bring our meat with us to Italy».

The dessert is again a fun, original new dish for Italian palates. Sea buckthorn with ryazhenka and honey from sea urchins caviar: «It’s a dessert in which sea buckthorn and ryazhenka meet. We then add some honey infused with sea urchin caviar. Sea buckthorn is another berry that grows in this season, and it’s very common in our region, while Ryazhenka is a typical Russian speciality, made only in our country, so we brought it with us to Italy. It’s made with fermented milk, and Russia is famous all around the world because of it. This dish is very tasty, with interesting and special pairings and allows us to present some traditional Russian products in an unconventional way».

Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy are at Identità Golose Milano, in Via Romagnosi 3, from Wednesday 21st to Saturday 24th November, from 7.30 pm. For info and reservations, visit the official website.

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso