Today I made my way out to a popular “touristy” venue in Moscow, Izmailovsky Market. At Izmailovsky, one can find anything from the famous Russian nesting dolls (Matryoshkas) with just about anything painted on them (U.S. college football teams, pro football teams, politicians – including Bill Clinton and all of his “special friends”) to professionally painted lacquer boxes and the famous Russian “Ushanka” (Russian fur hat) made of fake fur or natural fur skins of all sorts. Soviet-era items are also easy to find here. As in many foreign countries, Izmailovsky is one of those places where you have to work your way down from the extremely overpriced items or take a Russian friend with you to do the haggling. They have instant American detectors that basically double the normal price on many items.
One of the best things to buy at the market is the famous “Shashlik,” which is meat on a skewer, cooked over coals of birch wood. Shashlik meat is usually marinated overnight in a small amount of vinegar and salt. The meats can consist of beef, pork, salmon, chicken and lamb chops. At this vendor, they usually take your order and then send you upstairs or there are also seats/wooden booths in front of the smoky stand. I always go upstairs, which is directly above the cooking area and is not necessarily any warmer, but it is indoors (no heat source there other than the grills below you). For 370 Rubles (approximately $12.75), I got a skewer of pork Shashlik, some salad consisting of sliced onions, pickles and a piece of tomato, a piece of Uzbekistani flat bread called “Lavash” and a Nestea drink. It might seem pricey, but believe me, it is worth it… I had some left over to bring home and heat up for dinner.
Toward the end of the slideshow, there are some tall buildings at a distance, these were some of the living quarters for the athletes during the 1980 Olympics that were held in Moscow.
Visiting with Shashlik Cooks at Izmailovsky Market
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