March 10, 2021

Eggplant Caviar, on the Shelf and at the Dacha


Eggplant Caviar, on the Shelf and at the Dacha

Eggplant or zucchini ikra (caviar), which should really be called a spread or a dip – both words have made it into Russian – has been a Soviet staple for quite some time. 

Allegedly the dish came to Russia in the seventeenth century, and by the 1970s became widely available in supermarkets, often among the very few things available. It is something every Soviet citizen was familiar with. I grew up with a jar of the stuff almost always in the fridge or on the table, and used to really like it (and still do). What I didn’t know was that people used to laugh at it. Widely available but little desired, it was the subject to jokes (oh, the Soviet sense of humor!) and ridicule.

Recently, Russian food blogger Yulia opened my eyes to the story behind eggplant or zucchini caviar, as told by Russian food historian Pavel Syutkin. A very famous Soviet comedy film, Ivan Vassilyevich Changes his Profession, is about a Soviet engineer who invents a time machine and ends up in the time of Ivan the Terrible, where he is mistaken for the tsar. And he is taken to a banquet where black and red caviar are served in huge quantities, along with a drop of eggplant ikra, called “zamorskaya,” or overseas ikra. It was obviously a joke, but after the movie (all Soviet movies were viewed by everyone, as there simple wasn’t much other entertainment on offer) came out, the fashion of serving eggplant caviar began, and the stuff started flying off the shelves.

That’s store-bought caviar, but in the southern parts of the USSR, where eggplants and zucchini grow in abundance, a home-made variety was made. 

It was also made by those who love their dacha, a Russian summer house outside of town, that people either love or hate, or love to hate. Yulia is one who outright hates it. Her memories of weekends spent at the dacha are of the hard work of pulling weeds, less than perfect conditions, and a desire to return home as quickly as possible. 

Yulia
Yulia

Yulia didn’t start appreciating the whole farm-to-table, organic and homegrown produce thing until her 20s. Sometimes you need to go away to start appreciating what you had, and that’s what happened with Yulia. She went to university in the city to study PR. She then did an internship at a big cosmetics company, which was supposed to turn into a job, which would have been a dream. But that crashed and burned thanks to a rude and sexist HR head who, having never seen Yulia before, told her that her English was no good and that there was no place for her in the company. Yulia cried for a week, and then got on a bus for six hours to Chelyabinsk, where she applied for an overseas job through ISIC. She was given a choice between postings in Poland or Sri Lanka, and chose Sri Lanka.

The decision to go to Sri Lanka was fateful for Yulia. She was shocked at first, especially since the young overseas exchange workers didn’t have the best of living conditions. But she also met people who opened her eyes to the world and who became great friends. She also met her husband there.

And it was in Sri Lanka that she learned to cook: on her way to the bus stop she saw a sign reading “cooking school." Intrigued at what it might be, she walked in and met an older French chef who, having worked in expensive hotels and restaurants, had semi-retired to Sri Lanka and opened a small cooking school. The school was small and there were times when Yulia was the only student. It was quite cheap, so she could afford it, and made Yulia fall in love with cooking. She was so excited to make her own tiramisu – a dessert she’d only had in restaurants before! And she always liked going out to restaurants, as soon as she could (kind of) afford it: out of her R500 weekly allowance she would spend R100 on one cup of coffee at a cafe. Because it was a cafe, and to a 90s kid, cafes are extra special.

Fast Forward to today, Yulia lives in Germany with her Sri Lankan husband and one-year-old son. She has a successful English language blog where she writes about her cooking and travel adventures. Still, she misses some childhood treats, including eggplant caviar. It goes well with rye bread and Soviet movies, especially Ivan Vassilyevich Changes his Profession

Yulia’s recipe for eggplant caviar can be found here.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955