I just found out today that Ithaca finally got a Russian/Eastern European deli! We’ve eaten a lot of stuff from the delis in Brighton Beach–but didn’t get our fill this weekend because my Aunt Delia was on a healthy food rampage. Smoked, fatty, nitrate/nitrite-infused foods were not on the menu.

What I did pick up while in Brooklyn was some preserved fish in oil, which Grammy loved! I have no idea what kind of fish it was, but it was similar to matjes herring–though not in a wine sauce. I also picked up some smoked osetra, which was slightly salty and very creamy in texture. At first I really liked it, but then I noticed it kind of had a bitter finish. Gala always gets the beet salad, which is shredded beets in a mayonnaise-based sauce, with or without raisins–I love the stuff. We used to eat these, along with other smoked meats (basturma, Hungarian sala, various bacons, etc.) and salmon caviar with some crusty bread and lots of vodka! Mmmm…

Anyway, our store, AJ’s Deli, was running low on its selection–they get their shipment (from Brooklyn, of course) on Thursdays, and well, today’s Tuesday. I picked up some bacon and smoked pork shoulder, as well as some sheep’s milk feta and Karums, which are chocolate-covered cheese curd treats.