I, Siberia

Prepared, pickled and red all over

By SARAH LEECH-BLACK

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As temperatures drop, you may find yourself avoiding frigid treks to the supermarket by shopping at the corner store. For many, this may mean culinary creativity at 7-Eleven's taquito condiment station. But a chosen set of lucky bastards living in Brighton and Brookline have the opportunity to shop at the neighborhood Russian market. Who better to sell you the fortifying winter foodstuffs than those who hail from cold, bleak Mother Russia?

Written Russian offers almost no recognizable words or phrases, which can be a deterrent for an unfamiliar shopper. The bold lines of the Cyrillic alphabet can seem more fierce than playful. Few signs are translated, making you wonder if anyone inside speaks English or wants your American dollars. For all you know, you'll inadvertently crash a meeting of the KGB elite.

Soldier up -- you want to eat this winter or what?

The sign in the window at Berezka [1215 Comm. Ave., Allston. 617.787.2837] boasts "Royal Delicacies at Peasant Prices." Such a jovial phrase, especially in English, is welcoming and reassuring. Walking in reveals a dairy cooler to the left and a deli counter to the right. The cooler is stocked with Kefir, a sour yogurt-like drink, and farmer's cheese, a simple substance similar to drained cottage cheese, usually used for stuffing blintzes and the like. The deli counter has chicken Kiev (breaded chicken breast) and blinis with meat, veggie or cheese fillings. There are double rows of deli salads, from red lobio (a seasoned bean medley with nuts) to eggplant caviar, fuchsia beet salad to greyish liver pâté. For a quick sugar high, dive into the barrels of wrapped candies that are in the back. Little treats like foil-wrapped confections can be the rays of sunshine during the shortened, darker days of winter. There's something about opening that tiny, glimmering package (even if it is with gloved, near frost-bitten hands).

To indulge your sweet tooth further, walk up Harvard Avenue to Bazaar [424 Cambridge St., Allston. 617.787.1511. bazaargourmet.com]. Almost a third of their wall-length freezer holds decadent ready-to-eat desserts, and the bakery corner entices with multilayer cakes with major icing, available by the slice. The bakery also has danishes of all shapes and sizes and puff pastries filled with fruit, cheese or meat. A wide variety of rather fresh produce is impressive, seemingly the trend in most of the Russian corner stores. This is slightly surprising considering the Siberian climate is limited to growing resilient crops like grains and potatoes, and those are more likely to be used for alcohol than food.

Which, naturally, brings us to booze. Russians know hard liquor can provide a cloak of fuzzy warmth that makes getting home possible at the end of the day. And if not for survival, alcohol is key to high spirits when temperatures are low. Beer, wine and liquor is sold at Bazaar's sister store in Brookline, Bazaar International Gourmet [1432 Beacon St., Brookline. 617.739.8450. bazaargourmet.com].

You may be no stranger to водка (er, vodka), but you probably haven't met kvass. Somewhat syrupy and carbonated, it's a traditional Eastern European fermented malt beverage made from rye bread. Add it to the pile of bottles; it probably makes a fine mixer. Once you're well fortified, hit Babushka Deli [62 Washington St., Brighton. 617.731.9739]. This doll of a store is a bit less mainstream, so be prepared to purchase things you may not be able to fully explain, such as the assorted sausages available in a variety of shades and link lengths. If you prefer your protein from the sea, pick up a whole smoked fish, its dried, pursed lips just begging to be kissed from behind the glass. Unless it's chopped herring with onion or jars of caviar, most fish you encounter will be salted, smoked, salted again and vacuum sealed. Really, that's better, considering the distance little Nemo would have to travel back in the landmass of the former Soviet.

Put your Russian savvy to the test when you pop into Lakomka [183 Chestnut Hill Ave., Brighton. 617.782.6667]. The husband-and-wife owners are unlikely to acknowledge you at the counter so it's best to wander the racks of pickled goodies. Almost everyone enjoys pickles, the egalitarian snack. And, yes, you can pickle anything as long as it you can fit it in a jar -- even wedges of watermelon. Again, the Russians are wise veterans of winter: What better way to capture summer's bounty than in brine? Surely all that salt and vinegar somehow preserves your body inside, though frozen conditions may be ravaging outside.

Winter may have only just begun, but you need a survival strategy. Whether you preserve yourself with pickles or rally yourself with sweets, your nearest Russian corner store will have what you need. But a muttering Babushka in the kitchen? Sorry, for that you're on your own.