News: 2007-04-30

Catch a cucumber!!

The city main and favourite fish- koryushka- is back and will hit the streets in the beginning of May. One of the main characteristics of the fish is that it has a strong cucumber-like smell.For that is nicknamed "cucumber" fish. The koryushka (hypomesus olidus), or freshwater smelt, is a little fish between four and 14 cenimetres long. The fish appears in the Neva River just the ice drift is gone and it is sold all over- at markets or near the metro stations- for some days. The cucumber smell fills the streets of st Petersburg- and you know it is a spring again. The cucumber fish lives in northern waters and accounts for about half of the catch off the coast of the Gulf of Finland.It's a symbol of the beginning of spring and the start of the tourist season. For citizens the regular arrival of koryushka is a sign of stability. In St petersburg people eat more than 700 ton of Koryushka every year. Many citizens(there live around 100.000 fishermen in the city) like to catch the fish bu themselves; at the granite walls and embankments near the river you can see them angling. By the way, the distinctive cucumber smell disappears as soon as it is cooked.Most people fry koryushka whole(minus the head and tail) in flour, salt and sunflower seed oil. You can also eat (and buy) them smoked, dried, salty and pickled. A kilogram of fresh koryushka costs around 240 rubles.( =$9).

Many restaurants or pubs in St Petersburg have koryushka's on their menu these days, just ask for it, it's great parthered with beer or vodka. If you are a true fan of the fish, check out the special Koryushka festival in the Peter and Paul fortress.