Need a little spice in your life?
The Best Of team’s keen sense of smell leads us to one place when we need to buy spices: a little known kiosk at Demiyivsky Market, which has the largest and best collection of spices in the capital by far.
That’s not to say that this obscure market is the only place to find spices. They are sold in practically every market and Western-style grocery store. But when we consider selection, marketing and price, the selection at the supermarkets pales in comparison to Demiyivsky Market.
Other markets also fail to match Demiyivsky’s standards. Besarabska, for example, may be centrally located and beautiful, but it sells just 13 types of basic spices, including the standard curry, basil, garlic and black pepper. At least that’s what they tell us. Since the spices are stored in large, unmarked plastic bags, we have to trust them. The Best Of team members have eagle eyes – that goes without saying. But it’s tough even for us to tell basil from cilantro when it’s sitting on a shelf 5 meters away.
There are better uses of our time than inspecting oversized bags of spices. For instance, cooking! When we feel the need for a kick of cumin or touch of thyme, we make a beeline down to Demiyivsky Rinok, across from Moskovsky Square Bus Station, and to the spice kiosk known as and run by Pula Kapidov.
Kadipov sells spices imported mainly from Uzbekistan and South Korea, such as cumin, rosemary, basil, oregano, coriander, anise, sumach and kokoam. Spices are displayed in open containers sitting on spice racks and are readily available for the “smell test.” Each spice is clearly marked on a label, which also provides information about which dishes they ought to accompany. Moreover, if you’re not sure what you’re looking for or can’t read Cyrillic – or can’t read period – there’s help on hand. Pula Kapidov isn’t just a strange name for a kiosk, it’s also the exotic name of its Uzbeki owner. He knows his business, and with a wink and a smile, the charming vendor will explain how best to use the spices on hand – and how best not to use them.
He’s also got stories, including a Hungarian proverb concerning its national spice: “One man may yearn for fame, another for wealth; but everyone yearns for paprika.”
Meanwhile, Kapidov doesn’t just have spices for foods – but also medicinal spices and aromatherapy spices. About the only thing missing are those charming spice jars favored by Martha Stewart wannabes. Spices at Kapidov are wrapped in white paper cones and folded on top – much in the way the sunflower seeds that the Best Of team eats by the kilo at Dynamo Kyiv games are sold.
In terms of price, Kapidov only enhances to his Best Of rating. All spices at the kiosk cost Hr 2 for 10 grams, whereas they’re at least Hr 3 elsewhere.
