Food Trends in the 90 Russia

Like I have already written in one of the posts, there were not much food choice in the shops. In addition, products were extremely expensive that only few people could afford them. Luckily, the hunger times did not last for too long. Gradually, things started changing for the better in terms of food availability. And a new trend appeared – products from the USA. As you probably know, there were from few to none foreign food products in the Soviet Union. So, having something from abroad was a big thing. Having something from the USA was unbelievable luxury.

There were shops which sold soy milk and cheese, which came all way from the other continent. Soy products were very cheap, and they could replace expensive dairy products, at least for a while. In addition, soy was something new and exotic to Russian people. It tasted so different from anything else.

Another trend which emerged was chicken legs. Of course, chickens and their legs existed in the USSR, too. During the collapse and deficit it caused, it was hardly possible to get such a food. As soy, the chicken legs were originated in the USA. There were plenty of them in shops, and again, the price was affordable. What is really interesting, the chicken legs, delivered from the USA, were called Bush’s legs. That was the term widely used in families, shops, on TV. This term represents the particular epoch of USA imported goods.

Later, people started questioning the quality of soy products and chicken legs. There were discussions that these products contained harmful substances, antibiotics, etc. And maybe they did. Yet, those products helped to overcome the hunger, while the country was ‘recovering’.

Interestingly, the 90s were the cult of the USA. Beside soy and chicken legs, new things appeared in the shops – chocolate bars, soft drinks. American music and movies became extremely popular. If you are interested, I can make a separate post about the USA influence in the 90s Russia.