1. I have travel a lot and I can tell you for sure that such big variety, high quality and cheap milk products you will not find anywhere! This I always miss when stay long time abroad. So I recommend you to try all this not only for interest but also because these products are healthy and full of calcium. What we have:
Кефир [Kefir] - liquid product to drink that is produced from cow milk that turn sour, have a bit sour taste and dense stucture. It can be fatless and up to 3.9% fat, more fat more dense is the drink. I prefer 1%.
Творог [Tvorog] (eng - curds or cottage cheese) - very good product for breakfast or very light supper. It is produced from kefir (I speak about village way of production, in mass production for sure is more automatized). It has more neutral taste than kefir, it's good to eat straight, with jam, honey, fruits, veal fruits, there are a lot of receipts of desserts and appetizers. There is big variety of types: small packs of curds in chocolate (classic sweet since soviet times) 50 gr, square blocks 200 gr with soft structure, or 100 gr blocks with sweet taste, in plastic boxes and round bags - more village style, in plastic roll consistence like pasta, in plastic cups round shaped balls with cream (could be with jam). I like almost all of these and recommend to try different types. Dishes with curds that you could try is: сырники [sirniki] (eng - curd fritter), вареникис творогом [vareniki with curds], запеканка [zapekanka] (baked pudding), both more like sweet dish.
Сметана (eng - soured cream) - totally classic product that we add in soups, food, sauces, cakes and actually almost everywhere.
Ряженка (Rjagenka) - something similar to kefir but sweet.
Простокваша (Prostokvasha) - the same thing but not sweet.
Of course try yogurts and drinking yogurts. Also, all these products are very good for the stomach work!
Sure we have a lot of cows milk, difference is in fat level and producer, all milk should be stored in fridge, as other milk products. Milk is packed in boxes, plastic bottles and plastic bags (like in soviet times, and this is 'social' product and has the lowest price).
Also, we have big variety of cheese, but it is the copy of international products, so the taste is not authentic.
2. Other interesting thing is cranberry juice and juice from birch tree - first is a bit sour and other is sweet. Both juices very light, so as for me i prefer them than unnaturally taste and sweet orange or something.
3. Also, despite is very unhealthy in our country very popular different types of sausages. I don't want to compare us with Poland where is even more variety, but sure we have good quality.
4. Usually everybody recommend to try draniki, but better try колдуны (kolduni - fried potato pancakes stuffed with mince) or мачанка (machanka - sauce with meat or sausages and mushrooms, goes together with draniki or pancakes).
Or if you want to feel taste of Soviet Union and to visit something unique you need Столовая [stolovaya]! This is the place where had lunch people from factories, prices incredibly cheap, taste very original. There are a lot of them in the city, just ask somebody on the street. Usually it works from morning till 4-5 o'clock, may be less. There is self-service, pay cash.
6. My friend from England likes a lot cold soup холодник [holodnik] that is cooked with beet and served cold. You could find it interesting.
7. Sweets generally is not good in Belarus, just for interest u could try some things that u can buy in any shop: пряники (eng - honeycakes (packed in plastic bag)), зефир (zefir) (only produced by the state factory Красный пищевик), печенье К полднику [cookies with cheese by factory Slodych with very short pastry).
8. Alcohol. A lot of foreigners say that Bealrussian vodka is very clear, and we have big variety. Only you will not find vodka with strong aromas as in Poland for example. And if to speak about Poland, Zubrovka is not only their traditional drink. It's produced with herbs that grow in park Belovegskaya puscha, that is located on territory of Belarus and Poland. And first time Zubrovka was made in Belarussian territory. So welcome to try Belarussian Zubrovka!
