Traditional Russian rassolnik recipe is a hearty soup made with pickles, barley, and beef (or chicken, or pork).

"Vegetarian and frugal it may be, but the chickpea is one of the most versatile ingredients you could keep in your cupboards." - Yotam Ottolenghi

This dish is inspired by France cuisine, where seafood is often cooked with butter, cream, and wine. Using champagne adds a refined touch typical of French cooking. In French cuisine, cooking seafood with wine or champagne is a classic technique used to enhance natural flavors. Champagne, with its light acidity and delicate bubbles, creates a luxurious sauce—turning simple shrimp into an elegant dish often served on special occasions.

Croissants, though famously French, actually trace their roots to Vienna, Austria! Their ancestor is the kipferl, a crescent-shaped pastry that dates back to at least the 13th century. Legend says Viennese bakers created it to celebrate the defeat of the Ottoman Turks — the crescent shape imitating the symbol on the Ottoman flag.