#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Norilsk residents who left, remembering the years of life in the Arctic, always say kind words about trade and catering.
In Norilsk abundance, of course, a special, polar supply played an important role, and in addition, its own well-developed food industry. Already in the 1950s, Norilsk residents were fed by a local bakery plant, five smaller bakeries, a brewery, a sausage shop, a dairy factory, a pasta and confectionery factory, a state farm with the northernmost herd and greenhouses.
True, the Norilsk supply in the 1950s and 60s also amazed visitors to Norilsk with some imbalance: an abundance of delicacies, but at the same time a shortage of products common to the mainland. For yesterday’s inhabitants of the outback, some of the counters were like museum display cases. For many, this was the first time they saw such an assortment of scarce products on free sale. Delicious fish, columns of canned cod liver and crabs, tubs of caviar, elegant pastries, cakes and locally produced sweets – all this made an indelible impression.
At the same time, there was a big shortage of milk and eggs. Milk was first sold frozen, and before consumption, the “circle” of milk had to be thawed in a bowl. But the issue of “milk shortage” was resolved quite quickly thanks to the dairy plant built in 1958.
Instead of eggs there was egg powder. Fairly disgusting, they say. Therefore, when returning from vacation, Norilsk residents brought fresh eggs wrapped in soft materials. The problem was if bad weather forced them to land somewhere in Igarka. To provide Norilsk residents with fresh eggs, they even came up with a project to build their own poultry farm in Norilsk. It was never implemented, but they learned how to import and store eggs.
There was a similar shortage of ordinary vegetables: carrots, potatoes, onions. They appeared in the kitchens of Norilsk residents more often in dried form. Such potatoes, for example, were first soaked in water overnight, squeezed, and only after that – cooked. Announcements about the beginning of fresh vegetables sale were published in the newspaper. In the fall, the plant’s enterprises even carried out special campaigns for the collective delivery of fresh potatoes or pickling cabbage. The city press also published recommendations on how to store vegetables at home best so that they would last for several months, and how to defrost frozen potatoes so that they wouldn’t not turn sweet.
In the 1960s, the commerce department found a solution to this pressing supply issue. Fresh vegetables and fruits brought during navigation were stored in built vegetable warehouses, insulated carriages and cars appeared for distribution, and in winter apples, cucumbers and tangerines were flown north by plane.
The issue was taken seriously. The archive contains documents of the following kind, for example: “On additional measures for the safety of potatoes received for navigation”, “…part of the potatoes from the Kaluga and Bryansk regions arrived in Norilsk affected by late blight, with traces of white mold, brown spots, dry and wet rot”…
“The process of spoilage, the spread of wet rot to apparently unaffected tubers continues. Taking into account emergency circumstances, in order to reduce potato losses and ensure storage in winter, the executive committee of the Norilsk City Council decided to approve a schedule for engineers and employees of enterprises, city organizations and the combine for sorting potatoes and vegetables at the bases of the trade department. The combine’s personnel department, together with the trade department, determine the schedule for the workers for sorting potatoes – 2.2 thousand tons…”
But the results were worthy. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, specialized stores began to open in Norilsk: Nature Gifts, Golden Autumn, Vegetables and Fruits. Of course, the main assortment there consisted of canned vegetables and fruit compotes, but vegetables were no longer in acute shortage. Norilsk residents with a string bag (where potato chips could be sifted through holes) went to the store, where they hooked it to a special tin tray, and the potatoes fell out of an automatic conveyor. At the same time, the buyer tried to have time to snatch and throw out the rotten tubers from the net.
Norilsk was set as an example to other cities for its high level of trade and consumer services. When in March 1976, the press department of the Foreign Affairs Ministry organized a trip to Norilsk for 27 journalists from ten socialist countries, foreign guests also admired the Norilsk counters.
“This is my first time in Norilsk and I’m amazed. I thought that this city was lost somewhere on the North. Good supply. In stores there are television and radio sets, refrigerators. There are a lot of people on the streets. It’s very nice when you see kids wrapped in fur coats. These “bear cubs” eat apples…”
In the History Spot’s previous publication, we talked about what Norilsk sights looked like during their construction.
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Text: Svetlana Ferapontova, Photo: Nornickel Polar Branch archive
