In Russia, there are approximately 4-5 million vegetarians… according to current estimates. Vegetarianism has a long history in Russia. In the 1860s, the first small vegetarian community appeared in St. Petersburg, which was jokingly called “Neither fish nor meat.” But, of course, the key role in the development of vegetarianism in Russia at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century was played by one of Russia’s greatest writers, Leo Tolstoy. As early as 1891, he began to promote abstaining from meat, thus attracting the attention of the intelligentsia. In his works “The First Step” and “The Path of Life,” Leo Nikolaevich explicitly states that wise men from ancient times taught that humans do not need to eat meat. An interesting detail that resonates with our time – Anna Tolstaya (L. N. Tolstoy’s daughter) wrote in her diary in 1890: “Father took the summer train to Tula to the slaughterhouse and told us about it. It is terrible, and I think father’s story is enough to stop eating meat.” We see that to this day, stories and footage from slaughterhouses (films “Dominion” and “Earthlings”) encourage people to stop eating meat. In Moscow, in 1909, the first vegetarian society and vegetarian canteen were opened, which from the very beginning enjoyed popularity and financial success. At that time, vegetarian borscht, pea and cabbage cutlets, cereals, and potato casseroles were served in canteens. A two-course meal cost 30-60 kopecks. The choice of dishes was already considerable, as the cookbook “Vegetarian Cuisine. Instructions for preparing more than 800 dishes, breads, and drinks for non-meat eating” had been published. In the same year, the first vegetarian restaurant opened its doors in Moscow. At that time, the European format of abstaining from meat also existed, which ideologically differed from the Russian one. While in Russia, the main idea was to avoid killing animals, Europeans were concerned about health. In fact, vegetarianism was not very popular, being more like small groups of fashion enthusiasts, with most people looking at it oddly, thinking these were strange people. There were also problems with the dishes, which seemed odd against the backdrop of a rich history of fasting foods. For example, “broth made from hay, roots, and herbs.” Here is what Repin wrote about such a broth: “I feel how the beneficial juice of herbs refreshes and cleanses the blood… Eggs (the most harmful food) are discarded, cheeses, meat had already been eliminated.” Vegetarianism originated in western Russia in the 18th century, starting with a few dozen people, and by the 21st century, it spread to Siberia, the Far East, and even Kamchatka, where there is already a whole network of vegetarian cafes. Now millions of vegetarians in Russia inspire businessmen to open new vegetarian cafes, pizzerias, and street-food outlets.