Considering its ubiquitous nature at restaurants and in homes throughout North America, it may come as a surprise (or not) that original recipes for this 19th-century Russian dish didn’t include mushrooms or egg noodles. Or even Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup. I know, right? Ground beef? Not exactly. While beef stroganoff and its manifestations have taken on a life of their own, the origins of this hearty meal are interesting—if a bit murky. To Russia With Love, From France? In the 17th century, Russian society, high and low, often ate some common traditional Russian dishes—though differing in quantity, quality, and availability, surely. But Peter the Great— who from 1682 to 1725 ruled first as tsar and then emperor—was enamored of Western Europe, and sought to Westernize his empire, even ordering his court and military to shave their long beards and lose the long robes. (He levied a tax on both …