Day 178

Chebureki: As I've stated before, shopping for this blog has become more difficult than I anticipated. Even in a city like Atlanta that has a vibrant food culture and several ethnic markets, I tend to see the same things over and over again. I'm sure the average shopper doesn't notice this like I do, but then again, the average shopper probably wouldn't dream of doing what I'm doing. Anyway, after a couple of failed attempts at grocery buying on Buford Highway, I wound up at the Buford Highway Farmers Market again. Even though I've done a lot of shopping there, I always seem to notice something new on each trip.

While browsing the Eastern European section (one of my favorites in the market), I noticed a type of pastry in the deli section that I'd never seen before: chebureki. I love their freshly-made piroshki, and I was curious to find out if this one was as tasty as those. I asked the lady behind the counter what was in it, and she told me it was filled with beef and pork. It's hard to beat a savory Russian pastry, so I took one home to eat for dinner tonight.

After reheating the chebureki in the oven to keep it from getting soggy, I dove in. It looked like it was made from standard pastry dough, and the shape reminded me of a mini-sized calzone (or huge ravioli). When I cut it in half, the filling looked to be a light-colored mix of ground beef and pork. I'm not sure if these were deep-fried or baked in the store, but the exterior was a bit greasy. Anyway, I took a bite, and was really impressed. The dough retained a nice crunch even after reheating, and the beef/pork mix was just salty enough to pair well with the flaky crust. Yum. Just as good as piroshki, but extremely filling. One of these is definitely enough for most appetites, especially when paired with a couple of sides.

Even though the BHFM can seem overwhelming, I can't recommend the Eastern European section enough. If you really want to take home something special, try any of the savory pastries - especially the chebureki!