The Russian crepe traditionally eaten during Maslenitsa is called blini. These thin pancakes are associated with Russian cuisine and are commonly made from wheat or buckwheat flour, milk, eggs, butter, and sometimes yeast.
Maslenitsa, also called Butter Week or Pancake Week, is the week before the Orthodox Christian period of Great Lent. Blini fit the festival because dairy, eggs, and butter are traditionally eaten before those foods are restricted during Lent. They are served with toppings such as sour cream, butter, jam, smoked fish, or caviar.
The tradition is older than Christianity in the region. Early Slavic peoples associated the round, golden pancakes with the sun and the return of warmth at the end of winter. A common mix-up is syrniki: those are fried cakes made from tvorog, or farmer’s cheese, rather than crepe-like pancakes. Blini are also served outside Maslenitsa as an everyday breakfast or snack.