In early November, Murmansk hosted the Arctic Cuisine gastro-dinner, which united the efforts of the two regions to promote the brand of northern gastronomy. Chef of modern Pomor cuisine Andrey Anikiev treated guests at the Murmansk restaurant Pomory with delicacies inspired by his long expeditionary work—together with the team of the North in the Heart project he has been travelling for several years to remote settlements and villages of the Arkhangelsk Region, collecting ancient recipes. The partner of the event was the Museum of Folk Life and Traditional Crafts 'Ryabinovy Krai,' which showed the gourmets an atmospheric exposition of authentic Pomor utensils in the hall of the restaurant, and Murmansk master Marina Viktorovna Kolechkova presented the guests with a handmade kozuli (baked figures usually made for Christmas).

'Arctic cuisine' is a special brand gaining popularity as an element of the tourist industry of the Polar region. These are modern dishes that are made with localised northern products. In 2025, the Murmansk Region plans to start work on the certification of restaurateurs who dare to use the brand. As Anastasia Ivanova, General Director of the Regional Tourism Information Centre, emphasised, a modern reading of traditional northern cuisine may become one of the criteria that will be required of chefs to receive an honorary title.

We have to admit that this is far from an easy task. Andrey Anikiev turned to folk recipes, having already accumulated solid experience and a stock of professional techniques from the best establishments in the world. He trained in Michelin restaurants in St. Petersburg, Riga, Copenhagen, and worked for several years on the Cote d'Azur in Nice. After returning home, Andrey started developing regional cuisine—he is part of a team of authors who are writing a book about the culinary traditions of the Arkhangelsk Region based on their expedition experience. It is both an excursion into history, an attempt to preserve rare traditions and a reflection on the region's gastronomic heritage. The latter is especially important, as the specifics of traditional cuisine do not always match up with modern culinary habits, let alone restaurants.

Classic Pomor cuisine, first of all, is satiating—in the North, it is not up to frills and bright combinations of flavours. An abundance of assorted baked goods, fish soups and dairy products are meant to strengthen the body after a gruelling day full of toil. Variety, of course, is added by berries, mushrooms and vegetables, and then there are local flavour habits. For example, in Pomorye, coffee is drunk with salt and spices, fish is often combined with milk in the Finnish manner, and is also eaten raw. Sugudai and stroganina were present on the tables of coastal inhabitants no less frequently than in Nenets' chums. A separate place in the diet was occupied by Murmansk cod, which was sent to stew in pots and pans, put in shangas and fish cakes, claiming that it could be eaten every day—it did not get boring. For this, the Pomors were often called 'cod eaters.'

However, it's a very different experience than what gastrotourists expect from a meal. What are chefs to do? During one of his expeditions, Andrey Anikiev wrote down a recipe for a special broth, based on which fish soup is prepared in the Vorzogry settlement. It is necessary to place air-dried or dried fish in a pot, pour cold water and leave overnight in a heated oven. In the morning, a concentrated broth is obtained—Andrey added White Sea fucus seaweed to it, which helped to reveal the flavour of the original product and create the 'magic of haute cuisine.'

According to a poll by the portal Tutu.ru, 8% of Russians would like to try the cuisine of the Russian North. According to Leonid Gelibterman, President of the International Centre of Wine and Gastronomy and Chairman of the Committee for Gastronomy Tourism in the Russian Union of Travel Industry, gastrotourism is one of the fastest-growing types of tourism—the volume of the world market grows by 15.7% annually.

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