Olivier, borscht, “Herring under a fur coat”, cakes and pastries, buckwheat with mushrooms, semolina for breakfast … When you live here for a long time, or you come for an extended holiday with young children, there is a desire to eat familiar food. But how to cook them using local ingredients? It’s not always practical to try and reproduce familiar dishes using local ingredients which is why there are a significant number of shops in Cyprus selling Russian food.
Where to find Russian shops in Cyprus?
You may wonder why Cyprus has Russian food when the cuisine is so varied, and local produce is fresh and delicious, but habits are hard to break, and you may not be able to resist Olivier for New Year or a borscht for lunch. Of course, you can eat in one of the Russian restaurants, but sometimes you just want a home-cooked meal.
Most of the Russian shops are in Limassol, where the majority of the Russian-speaking population live, but you can also find them in Nicosia, Larnaca and Paphos. There is a total of about 10-12 in Cyprus – the largest network, Mini Mix, has five shops in Paphos and three in Limassol.
Assortment
T
here is a wide variety of items available in the stores: there are all kinds of groats (so no need to bring buckwheat or semolina for the children from Russia), the usual cheeses (“SVALIA” is about €3). There’s doctoral and other types of sausage (about €9-€11 per kg) and a small range of baby food. You will find a variety of pickles and conserves (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lecho, the usual canned fish), Russian candies (about €15-€20 per kg), mayonnaise (about €3), ketchup and other sauces, etc.
It’s best to go here if you want red and black caviar and crab. The cost of red caviar in Cyprus ranges from €25 to €60 for a small tin and depending on the amount, the black caviar is €60-€50. A tin of crab meat is about €20-€25, but you can get discounts that reduce the price by €5-€6!
Here you will find the usual sour cream (€7 for fresh homemade and about €2-€3 for an ordinary jar), yoghurt and other dairy products. Usually, people also buy green peas here because the local tinned peas are significantly different – much harder.
Russian stores also have a good selection of soft and alcoholic drinks. Favourite tarragon (tarhoon), kvass, lemonade, and, of course, Borzhomi mineral water! By the way, some stores even have a homemade kvass, including white – perfect for okroshka. In any Russian store in Cyprus, you will find a good selection of Georgian and Cahors wine, cognac and Russian vodka.
Meals in these stores are also very popular. You can always buy fresh Olivier salad (about €3-€4), vinaigrette, herring under a fur coat, all you need for okroshka, sauerkraut, pickles, etc. There is a considerable demand for bakery products (the cost of one patty is about €1.5-€2), beautiful fresh pies with sausages, cheesecakes, potatoes and apples. These products sell out quickly, and by the evening the shelves are empty, so sometimes it makes sense to get there early.
Conclusion
Russian products are not just sold in Russian stores but are also available in conventional supermarkets such as Carrefour, Papas and Alpha Mega where there is a special section for Russian products, although there isn’t as much variety.
So, as you have learned, you’ll have no problems with the traditional dishes, and there’s no need to get friends and family to bring your favourite spices when they visit. You can safely go to the usual store and buy all you need!
