At Kuznechny Market in June, we found glorious
red gold cherries and enormous peonies--and,
to our surprise, many vacant stalls.
When we visited Kuznechny Market in late June, we were surprised to find so many empty stalls. Was it the early morning hour? Or was it the fallout of a controversial law banning non-Russian citizens from selling spices and other foods at the fresh produce markets?
I fear we now have the answer:
A few days ago, our St. Petersburg correspondent emailed an excerpt from Pulse, a “monthly entertainment magazine” published in both Russian and English. Pulse also keeps up with local current events: this is from a recent article, “Market Forces: Kuznechny Market.”
“At the entrance there's a hand-written notice:
'Gardeners of the Leningrad region are provided with
free places. Contact the administration.' Under the
notice, perhaps at the provided place, sits an
elderly gardener selling onions. After the infamous
law banning non-citizens from working at the
markets, the once-lively Kuznechny Market has become
a lot more subdued. There are many empty counters,
and the ones that remain are occupied by traders,
who look more or less like Slavs. They invite
customers to try their fare- in an insistent yet
friendly manner.
Apart from the familiar fruit and veg, fish and
meat, the market has a great selection of dairy
products (from Leningrad region) and honey (from
Altai, 280 rubles). Kuznechny also has a wide
selection of spices. You can even find Iranian cumin
for pilaff and sumac for basturma."
To my regret, the honey sellers did not make an appearance during our visit and there were only one or two stalls selling spices. I did buy a packet of blue-black sumac berries which, though dried, were still quite fresh and very tart.
Basturma, incidentally, is a dish which turns up in various guises in Russian, Armenian, Georgian, and even Turkish cuisine. In some recipes, basturma is a dry cured beef that has been rubbed with an incendiary paste of red and black pepper, garlic, allspice, and fenugreek. In others it refers to grilled skewered lamb or beef that has been marinated in something sour like vinegar or pomegranate juice and fresh herbs. But nowhere have I found a recipe for basturma made with sour sumac.
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