They're irresistible. They're addictive. They're the guilty pleasures of the Russian reality. |
Oh, sushki!
They're irresistible. They're addictive. They're the guilty pleasures
of the Russian reality, its rainy autumns and icy winters, when homes, restaurants, and your friends’ kitchens welcome you in with a cup of hot tea and a bundle of
sushki next to it. The Western world
binges on chips and popcorn, but Russians are hooked on sushki. Walk into a
Russian store anywhere in the world, and you find them. Actually, you’ll find a variety.
Sushki are dry bread crackers – in fact the name comes from the word
“sushit” which means "drying out." Circle-shaped with a hole in the middle, they are too
low in sugar to earn the sinful title of dessert, but satiating enough to grow
into a delightful addiction. Think of
them as a cross between bagels and tea biscuits. Or a hybrid of cookies and pretzels. Worse,
they aren’t just tasty – they are also fun to play with. You can twirl them on
your fingers. And if you’re still in that blissful age of under ten, you can
hang them on your ears.
The cousins of American bagels, sushki are smaller, crunchier, and more
resilient – keep them in a dry place and they will stay crispy for weeks
without ever growing the blue dots of mold. Bite into them too hard and you’re risking breaking your tooth – but
that’s part of the fun. The little crunchy fragments with a mild delicate
sweetness melt in your mouth oh so satisfyingly. They sneak up on you too:
suddenly you realize you’ve eaten half the pack. Some people dip them in milk
and others in butter – depending how much they are prepared to sin!
Suddenly you realize you’ve eaten half the pack! |
They are also almost an ideal junk food. They work perfectly with
tea. They work with milk. They work as a
nighttime snack, a midday mood booster, and even as a quick morning bite when
it’s too early to even think of breakfast. It’s five o’clock and you're craving
carbs? Sushki are literally the golden
cure for you only need a few yellow-brown rings to chase away your afternoon
blues. And they are a calorie-friendly comfort food – low in food and high in
comfort.
But most amazingly, this lovely combo of snack and dessert also
used to serve as travel provisions. Sushki don’t spoil. I don’t think I've ever
seen them go bad. Such impressive toughness made them easy to store and
transport. Traveling across Russia years ago, merchants brought bundles of
sushki on their journeys. Even if everything else turned sour and moldy, sushki
wouldn’t!
Keep them in a dry
place and they will stay crispy for weeks without ever growing the blue dots of mold! |
What a long history sushki must have--from transcontinental travel provisions to your afternoon tea. I could use a carb boost right now! Thanks for sharing Lina.
ReplyDeleteI used to eat these when I lived in the GDR, Lina. I'd forgotten what they were called but I remember how they tasted. Definitely addictive!
ReplyDeleteEvery single apartment I ever rented in Russia seemed to come with sushki, regardless of how well the place had been cleaned or how long between "guests." Thanks for the memories!
ReplyDeleteThe cousins of American bagels, sushki are smaller, crunchier, and more resilient – keep them in a dry place and they will stay crispy for weeks without ever growing the blue dots of mold. Bite into them too hard and you’re risking breaking your tooth – but that’s part of the fun. The little crunchy fragments with a mild delicate sweetness melt in your mouth oh so satisfyingly. They sneak up on you too: suddenly you realize you’ve eaten half the pack. Some people dip them in milk and others in butter – depending how much they are prepared to sin!
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