Searching for Flatbread in Moscow

It feels strange to start a Russian food blog with an entry about Central Asian flatbreads, but since Central Asia was my "entrance" into an interest in Russia, perhaps it makes sense. Having lived in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, I love Central Asian breads and pastries, and I have been in search of these since arriving in Moscow. Luckily, it has not been difficult to find them, since I have found that Central Asian and Caucasian flavors are very important here in Russia and are widely available and loved.

Finding flatbreads in the center of Moscow has proven somewhat difficult, but I have found several suppliers in outlying areas. Most are located at or near bazaars. I'm still in search of more places and welcome suggestions. I am in search of traditional Central Asian non (lepyoshka in Russian) and other pastries.

So far, I have found a stand in the perekhod at the Voykovskaya Metro station, two places at the Gorbushka market by the Bagrationovskaya Metro station, and a shop attached to a vendor selling shaurma (similar to a gyro) by the Ismailovskiy market near the Partizanskaya Metro station. The stand at Voykovskaya had Caucassian-style flatbreads: Georgian and Armenian lavash. Armenian lavash is widely available in grocery stores here and is similar to a very large tortilla, while the Georgian style is more difficult to find but closely resembles Central Asian non, which is thicker. At this stand, I bought a Georgian-style lavash and was pleasantly surprised. The last such lavash I tried tasted like loaf bread that was shaped in flatbread form and had too much baking soda added to it! This version was very good and very close to the Central Asian bread I'm familiar with.

The shop at Ismailovskiy market was a typical grocery with candy, dairy products, and drinks but also had some fresh bread products. As a result, I did not expect great things from the flatbread and was again pleasantly surprised. It was fresh, and the bottom was charred like it would have been if it had been cooked in a tandir oven. This lent it a sense of authenticity and a great flavor.

My favorite place for Central Asian flatbread, however, is Gorbushka market. Here I have seen two different stands with flatbreads. I have yet to try one of them, which looked more Caucasian than Central Asian. There they sell khachapuri (a Georgian cheese-filled pastry), round flatbread, and flatbread with a hole in the middle. The other place is completely Central Asian, serving non, patir non, and somsa (the Uzbek spelling). There were two young Uzbek men working there when I stopped by, and they were pleasantly surprised that I spoke Uzbek. I tried their non and patir, which are pictured above. Both are very good. The patir is not the style I am familiar with, which is very flat, white, and flaky. Instead, it is thicker and denser but nonetheless delicious. The non tastes just like it does in Central Asia and is cooked in a tandir oven just inside the stand, so if you can get it while it's hot, you are in for a real treat!