Subscription box business is booming around the world. For a small monthly fee, you can have a selection of curated goodies - be it makeup, zen drawing art or socks - to try out different things without a major commitment.
So, we thought, wouldn’t it be fun to make up our own Russian snack box? Here’s what we’d put in it:
Traditional
I used to know a gal who always bought two boublicks - a Russian version of a bagel but skinnier and sweeter - on her way to work. That was her metro snack. When I was an exchange student, another friend used to mail me sushkas, which are akin to miniature dried boublicks. I still keep a bag in my pantry for munchies. Also in this category you’d find pryaniki: gingerbreads, plain or with different fillings.
The folks I polled for this story all pointed out various kinds of dried fish and calamari. You can buy an actual dried, salted fish and you’d spend twenty minutes cleaning and peeling pieces off, which is all part of the charm and the experience of having a beer with your buddies. Or you can cop out and buy dried fish in strips. A lot less work, and fun, but much more efficient on a train.
The overall winner, however, was sunflower seeds. You used to be able to buy them on the street from some old lady ready to pour a glass-full straight into your pocket. Now they too come in a dozen flavors and several sizes and have enticing brand names like “From Grandma,” or “From the Leader”.
Healthy
Secretly snacking on my son’s vacuum-packed apple puree, I didn’t realize I was totally on trend, with fresh and dried fruits and veggies now being a major snack category. Many Russians own a dehumidifier which they use to dry apple and pear slices. But just about every grocery store will have a variety of dried berries and fruit and berry mixes. Or even better - dried bananas in all their sweet, sticky goodness.
My skinny friends consider buckwheat cakes - a local alternative to rice cakes - an acceptable type of carb. They might taste a little like you’re eating air with an aftertaste of whole grain, but they’re surprisingly filling, and you can load them with smoked salmon or cheese, open sandwich style.
Fruit purees in vacuum packages and fruit bars are a hit not just with hungry moms. First of all, in most cases, they’re all fruit, and they’re convenient, and they’re yummy throwback to our own childhoods.
Want to really hit it out of the park with the healthy stuff? How about carrot chips with kelp and turmeric?
Illegal Drugs
Some of the best snacks are probably similar to miniature nuclear bombs for your body but are totally impossible to resist. Take, for example, dried bread sukhariki or fried bread grenki. You try one little piece and you’re licking your greasy fingers, staring at an empty package. They come in flavors ranging from cheese to chili peppers to calves-foot jelly with horseradish.
But the snack that blew my mind this past winter was chebupeli, a strange combination of cheburek pies and dumplings, with various fillings, such as cheese, bacon or meat. You’re supposed to microwave them but the enthusiasts I was around ate them straight out of the package. It's death by grease and preservatives but it's a savagly scrumptious way to go.
