Food
This clear spirit is the national drink of Russia and Poland
What is vodka?
This “squeezebox” instrument is a star of Slavic folk and polka music
What is the accordion?
Wooden dolls that nest inside one another
What are matryoshka dolls?
The first human in space, in 1961 (Russian)
Who is Yuri Gagarin?
This fast-paced Russian folk song keeps getting faster and is named after a red berry
What is “Kalinka”?
Slavs traditionally welcome honored guests with these two foods
What are bread and salt?
This capital city is nicknamed the “City of a Hundred Spires”
What is Prague?
This Polish-born scientist won Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry
Who is Marie Curie?
A Bulgarian pastry of layered phyllo dough filled with eggs and sirene cheese
What is banitsa?
This Croatian duo became famous for playing pop and rock hits on cellos
Who are 2Cellos?
Bulgarians exchange these red-and-white yarn tokens on March 1
What are martenitsi?
This country’s name in its own language, Crna Gora, means “Black Mountain”
What is Montenegro?
This Russian author wrote War and Peace
Who is Leo Tolstoy?
Small grilled minced-meat sausages from the Balkans, usually served in flatbread with raw onion
What are ćevapi?
He composed Swan Lake and The Nutcracker
Who is Tchaikovsky?
Many Slavs celebrate this day, linked to the saint they’re named after, as much as their birthday
What is a name day?
This Bulgarian peak is the highest on the Balkan Peninsula
What is Musala?
These 9th-century brothers created the Glagolitic alphabet
Who are Saints Cyril and Methodius?
Slovakia’s national dish: small potato dumplings topped with sheep cheese and bacon
What are bryndzové halušky?
This Polish piano virtuoso became Prime Minister of Poland in 1919
Who is Ignacy Jan Paderewski?
Serbian families celebrate this yearly feast honoring their patron saint, passed down through generations
What is Slava?
This Slovenian lake has a tiny island with a church in its center
What is Lake Bled?
This Russian chemist created the periodic table of elements
Who is Dmitri Mendeleev?