For weeks before my Crimea trip my mother was imploring me to check out the farmers’ markets in Novy Svet and Sudak, for the freshest fruits and berries in all the land! The markets did not disappoint, and I tried everything from the in-season strawberries and raspberries, to homemade cheeses and sausages. I cannot even imagine how exciting this place might have been for someone who cooks and could really get the most of local ingredients, including meats and veggies. And the best part of going to the market? All the free sampling I got to do!
- Farmer’s market in Sudak. Local cherries and peaches are front and center.
I asked for this small golden honey melon to be sliced up for me right at the market, because I had no knife in my shack.
The strawberries, raspberries and cherries were ridiculously fragrant.
The Yalta onions – purple, flat and very sweet; eggplant and squash.
- Homemade canned and pickled fruits and vegetables, plus a draft apple kvas stand in Koktebel.
- Homemade cakes and cheeses at the market in Novy Svet.
- Suloogoony cheese is Crimea’s answer to Mozzarella, and is sold fresh and smoked, with varying degrees of saltiness. It is a very popular beach snack. I took some back to Moscow with me.
- Cured and seasoned pork. I think.
- A fish stand in Koktebel. Lots of salty smoked, cured and dried varieties, to go with your beer.
- Cabbage kylebyaka – large pie.
- Spices and local spice blends. If I knew anything about cooking I would have bought those as gifts for my more culinarily-adept friends.
- Market-bought dinner, for when I wanted to hang out with my hedgehog instead of going out.
Home & Away 
ok suluguni is a traditional georgian dish and it is supposed to look quite differently but it does taste like mozarella. what you have shown in this picture looks more like a typical russian cheesebread to me. Ive seen it in many supermarkets.
In Russian it’s very rubbery and doesnt really taste like cheese at all. Here all the people at the markets told me it was fresh and local. I liked it!
sorry cheese braid. its actually called like that and looks like a braid made of cheese
Oh. My. God. I’m completely drooling now. The cheese! The fruit! (Where’s the wine?) Those spices look awesome – I wonder what I could cook with them.
I had a whole separate post on the wine!
Ok, but there’s cheese and fruit, and cured meat here…not that I can eat any of it, but that isn’t the point! You can’t have all of that without some alcohol!
There was PLENTY of alcohol 😉
You have me regretting that I don’t take more advantage of our local farmers markets. That looks absolutely amazing.
Doesnt everyone have their own farm in your neck of the woods? 🙂
Just the Amish.
Our soil is too rocky for good crop growth, so it isn’t as widespread as you would think.
Innnnnteresting….
Yum.
Indeed!
OOOOOOOOOOH the cheese!!!!
The softer kinds (the white round stuff) were my favorite.
Mmmm, it all looks so good! Your dinner is exactly what I would have chosen 🙂
Haha. It was perfect – all my favorite things: beer, meat, cheese, bread and berries!