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Belarus, officially: Рэспубліка Беларусь (Belarusian); Республика Беларусь (Russian), (The Republic of Belarus) is a landlocked country in central Eastern Europe. Its capital and largest city is Minsk and official languages are Belarusian and Russian. Until 1939, there was no such thing as an unified Belarusian state, in that the region of Belarusia has, historically, been divided between historical states. However, Belarusia first emerges into history in the 6th century when it was settled by Slavic tribes. The formation of a polity with the Varangians (a mix of Slavs and Scandic peoples) led to the establishment of the Kievan Rus' state in 862. Upon the death of Kievan Rus' ruler, Prince Yaroslav the Wise in 1054 the state fragmented into independent principaities which were subsequently ravaged by the Mongol invasion of the 13th century and this allowed the settlement of the region by the ancestors of the Belarusian people. Most of modern Belarusia was also brought under the control of th Dutchy of Lithuania during this time. On February 2, 1386, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland were joined in a personal union through a marriage of their rulers and this brought almost all of Belarusia under their joint control. The union between Poland and Lithuania ended in 1795, and the commonwealth was partitioned by Imperial Russia, Prussia, and Austria, dividing Belarus. Belarusian territories were acquired by the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine II and held until their occupation by Germany during World War I. Belarus first declared independence on March 25, 1918, forming the Belarusian People's Republic. The Germans supported the BPR, which lasted for about ten months. However, after the defeat of Germany the BPR fell under the influence of the Bolsheviks and the Red Army and became the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1919 and Byelorussia became a founding member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922. In September 1939, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union invaded Poland and annexed its eastern lands, including most Polish-held Byelorussian land. Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. Byelorussia was the hardest hit Soviet Republic in the war and remained in Nazi hands until 1944. In March 1990, elections for seats in the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR took place. Though the pro-independence Belarusian Popular Front took only 10% of the seats, the populace was content with the selection of the delegates. Belarus declared itself sovereign on July 27, 1990, by issuing the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. With the support of the Communist Party, the country's name was changed to the Republic of Belarus on August 25, 1991.

Belarus is dependent on Russia for imports of raw materials and for its export market and the Union of Russia and Belarus, a supranational confederation, was established in a 1996–99 series of treaties that called for monetary union, equal rights, single citizenship, and a common foreign and defense policy.

Bulgaria, officially: Република България; (Republika Balgariya, Transliteration); (The Republic of Bulgaria).

The Czech Republic, offilicially: Česká republika (the Czech Republic) is a landlocked country in modern Eastern Europe (and the historical entity of Central Europe). The capital and largest city is Prague (Czech: Praha) and the official language is Czech. The country has been settled from Neolithic times, with the Celtic tribe of the Boii settling there in the 3rd century BCE, subsequently followed by the Germanic tribes of Marcomanni and Quadi during the first century BCE and Slavic populations arriving in the 5th century CE.

From 1991 the Czech Republic (originally as part of Czechoslovakia, and now in its own right) has been a member of the Visegrad Group and from 1995 of the OECD. The Czech Republic joined NATO on March 12, 1999 and the European Union on May 1, 2004.

Czech cuisine is very heavily meat-based, with pork being the prime meat. Czech cuisine has also both influenced and been influenced by the cuisines of surrounding countries. Indeed, many of the fine cakes and pastries that are popular in Central Europe originated in the Czech lands. Fish is rare, with the occasional exception of fresh trout, and carp, which is served at Christmas. Beer culture is also a large part of Czech life and many popular Czech dishes and cheeses are usually eaten as pub fare.

Hungary, offilcially: Magyar Köztársaság (the Republic of Hungary) is a Parlimentary Republic located on the western border of Eastern Europe and on the eastern border of the historical Celtral Europe, lying in the Carpathian basin. The capital (and largest city) is Budapest and Magyar (Hungarian) is the official language.

Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU and a Schengen state. The official language is Hungarian (also known as Magyar), which forms part of the Finno-Ugric family.

Hungarian cuisine is a notable part of the country's culture, with dishes such as goulash (gulyás or gulyásleves) being a mainstay. Healthy brown bread is made from four to six different grains and is sprinkled with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and rolled oats. Kifli is a wildly popular crescent roll made from reform dough. Beer and wine are also minastays and the Tokaj white wine is a Hungarian classic.

Moldova, officially: Republica Moldova; (The Republic of Moldova) is a landlocked Eastern European country (also known as Moldavia) bounded by Romania and the Ukraine. Its capital and largest city is Chişinău and its official language is Moldovan (a dialect of Rumanian and a Romance language) though Gagauz, Russian and Ukrainian are recognized regional languages.

Poland, offilicially: Rzeczpospolita Polska (the Republic of Poland) is a Parlimentary Republic located on the western border of Eastern Europe and on the eastern border of the historical Celtral Europe.

Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" ("Solidarność"), which over time became a political force. Despite persecution and imposition of martial law in 1981, it eroded the dominance of the Communist Party and by 1989 had triumphed in parliamentary elections. Lech Wałęsa, a Solidarity candidate, eventually won the presidency in 1990. The Solidarity movement heralded the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe.

Polish cuisine represents an almost archetypical mix of Slavic traditions. The traditional Polish form of cookery rich in meat, especially chicken and pork, and winter vegetables (cabbage in the dish bigos), and spices, as well as different kinds of noodles the most notable of which are the pierogi. It is related to other Slavic cuisines in usage of kasza and other cereals. Generally speaking, Polish cuisine is substantial. The traditional cuisine generally is demanding and Poles allow themselves a generous amount of time to prepare and enjoy their festive meals, with some meals (like Christmas eve or Easter Breakfast) taking a number of days to prepare in their entirety.

Romania, officially: România (Romania [sometimes Rumania]) is an Eastern European coutntry located north of the Balkan Peninsula on the lower Danube and bordering the Black Sea. The capital and largest city is Bucharest and the official language is Romanian (a Romance language).

The country applied in June 1993 for membership in the European Union and became an Associated State of the EU in 1995, an Acceding Country in 2004, and a member on January 1, 2007. Romania also joined NATO in 2004. Romania is also a member of the Latin Union, of the Francophonie and of the OSCE.

Romanian cuisine is a very important part of the country's cuisine and blendes dishes from several of the cultures and trasitions that the country has come into contact with. For example, the Turks brought meatballs, the Greeks moussaka, from the Bulgarians there are a wide variety of vegetable dishes; from the Austrians there is the schnitzel. Pork is the preferred meat and many sausages are made with lamb or mutton serve at Easter. Wine is the preferred drink, though German-style blonde pilsner beer is also brewed and consumed.

Russia, officially: Российская Федерация; (Rossiyskaya Federatsiya, Transliteration); (The Russian Federation) is a transcontinental country that covers much of Northern Europe and Northern Asia. Russia's history can be considered to have begun with that of the East Slavs. The Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. Founded and ruled by Vikings and their descendants, the first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', arose in the 9th century and adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. The most powerful successor state to Kievan Rus' was Moscow, which served as the main force in the Russian reunification process and independence struggle against the Golden Horde. Moscow gradually reunified the surrounding Russian principalities and came to dominate the cultural and political legacy of Kievan Rus'. By the 18th century, the nation had greatly expanded through conquest, annexation and exploration to become the huge Russian Empire, stretching from Poland eastward to the Pacific Ocean and Alaska. Under the Romanov dynasty and Peter I (Peter the Great), the Russian Empire became a world power. Ruling from 1682 to 1725, Peter defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War, forcing it to cede West Karelia and Ingria (two regions lost by Russia in the Time of Troubles),[58] Estland, and Livland, securing Russia's access to the sea and sea trade. However, it can be argued that the prevalence of serfdom and the conservative policies of Nicolas I impeded the development of Russia in the mid-nineteenth century. In January 1905, striking workers peaceably demonstrated for reforms in Saint Petersburg but were fired upon by troops, killing and wounding hundreds. The abject failure of the Tsar's military forces in the initially-popular Russo-Japanese War, and the event known as "Bloody Sunday", ignited the Russian Revolution of 1905. Although the uprising was swiftly put down by the army and although Nicholas II retained much of his power, he was forced to concede major reforms, including granting the freedoms of speech and assembly, the legalization of political parties and the creation of an elected legislative assembly, the Duma.

Russia entered World War I in aid of its ally Serbia and fought a war across three fronts while isolated from its allies. Russia did not want war but felt that the only alternative was German domination of Europe. Although the army was far from defeated in 1916, the already-existing public distrust of the regime was deepened by the rising costs of war, casualties (Russia suffered the highest number of both military and civilian deaths of the Entente Powers), and tales of corruption and even treason in high places, leading to the outbreak of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Many of the uprisings were organized and led by democratically-elected councils called Soviets. The February Revolution overthrew the Russian monarchy, which was replaced by a shaky coalition of political parties that declared itself the Provisional Government. The abdication marked the end of imperial rule in Russia, and Nicholas and his family were imprisoned and later executed during the Civil War. While initially receiving the support of the Soviets, the Provisional Government proved unable to resolve many problems which had led to the February Revolution. The second revolution, the October Revolution, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Provisional Government and created the world’s first Communist state. In August 1991, an unsuccessful military coup against Gorbachev aimed at preserving the Soviet Union instead led to its collapse. In Russia, Boris Yeltsin came to power and declared the end of Communist rule. The USSR splintered into fifteen independent republics and was officially dissolved in December 1991. Boris Yeltsin was elected the President of Russia in June 1991, in the first direct presidential election in Russian history.

Russia has a rich culinary history and offers a wide variety of soups, dishes made from fish, cereal based products and drinks. In addition to meat culinary, vegetables, fruit, mushrooms, berries and herbs also play a major part in the Russian diet. Primordial Russian products such as caviar, smetana (sour cream), buckwheat, rye flour, etc. have had a great influence on world-wide cuisine. Also known for their making of the beer.

Slovakia, officially: Slovenská republika; (The Slovak Republic) is a landlocked Eastern European country in Eastern Europe (and also the historical region of Central Europe). The capital and largest city is Bratislava and the official language is Slovakian.

Slovakia became a member of NATO on March 29, 2004 and of the European Union on May 1, 2004. On January 1st, 2009, Slovakia adopted the Euro as its national currency.

Slovakian cuisine shares many similarities with that of its neighbours. Meat is poular with peork, beef and poultry predominating. Game meats, especially boar, rabbit, and venison, are also widely available around the year. A traditional Christmas dish is a fish and potato salad served with mayonnaise and vegetables. Slovakia is also an important wine-producing region with Tokaj wine being one of the best-known varieties.

Ukraine, officially: Україна; (Ukrayina, Transliteration); (Ukraine) is an Eastern European coutntry located on the shores of the Black sea and the sea of Azov and bordering Russia to the East. The capital (and largest city) is Kiev and Ukrainian is the official language, though most Ukrainians speak Russian as a second language).

On July 16, 1990, the new parliament adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine.[57] The declaration established the principles of the self-determination of the Ukrainian nation, its democracy, political and economic independence, and the priority of Ukrainian law on the Ukrainian territory over Soviet law. A referendum and the first presidential elections took place on December 1, 1991. That day, more than 90 percent of the Ukrainian people expressed their support for the Act of Independence, and they elected the chairman of the parliament, Leonid Kravchuk to serve as the first President of the country. At the meeting in Brest, Belarus on December 8, followed by Alma Ata meeting on December 21, the leaders of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, formally dissolved the Soviet Union and formed the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The European Union offered an Association Agreement with Ukraine in September, 2008. The country is a potential candidate for future enlargement of the European Union.

Ukrainian cuisine is a very important part of the country's culture with special dishes prepared for Easter and Christmas that are not prepared at any other time (with kutia being a Christmas speciality). Fish, cheeses and sausages are the mainstay of the diet, with hard cheeses being preferred. Hearty vegetable-based soups are a mainstay as are stuffed pastries (pyrohy/perogies). Tea, coffee or wine is often consumed after a meal and may be accompanied by a simple dessert of fruit pastries.