#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Such eateries were built in every Norilsk microdistrict. At first, they were designed to save the Norilsk women from cooking in shared kitchens in communal apartments. But even later, when many townspeople received separate apartments, cozy eateries still remained popular. They were lifesavers for schoolchildren and students who dropped in after lessons and lectures, and for bachelors, and just for those who walked on a day off.
In 1980, by order of the USSR Ministry of Trade, those catering points were systematized: “…specialized snack bar – depending on the assortment of products sold, can have the following specialization: barbecue, cutlet, sausage, sandwich, dumplings, cheburek, pie, pancake, donut. In the union republics, snack bars with dishes of national cuisine are allowed: bulba (potato), lagman, khinkaly, kupaty, manty, Transcarpathian kolyba, etc.”
Almost everything from this list was in Norilsk, and even in abundance. Some of those eateries raised prices, took on waiters and became cafes. Thus, Plovnaya grew into Dastarhan, and Shashlychnaya became the Vostochnoye cafe.
In addition, there were Belyashnaya, Blinnaya, Bulbyanaya, Bulionnaya, Buterbrodnaya, Varenichnaya, Sosisochnaya, Hitchinnaya, as well as two Pirozhkovayas and Cheburechnayas (named depending on the main dish cooked there). But the widest-spread ones were eateries for Siberian self-made food lovers: two Pelmennayas, two Mantnayas and the Siberian Dumplings cafe.
For other materials of our photo project about the history of the city and the Norilsk combine, go to the History spot section.
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Text: Svetlana Samohina, Photo: Nornickel Polar Division archive