Ukraine: Odessa – Fish Section of Privoz Market
The Privoz Market is iconic in Odessa, it’s one of the oldest and biggest markets in Europe, dating back to 1827 when horse-driven cards brought food and vegetables and fish to this inner city area and trading exploded here. The area has been built and rebuilt multiple times as fires and plaque ravaged it. Today, Privoz occupies the territory of eight hectares with around six thousand sellers peddling their offerings. By far the biggest and most impressive and incredible area of the Privoz is the fish market; after all – Odessa is a port city and fish variety and availability is legendary here. I have never seen so much fish of all types and preparations in my life anywhere – fresh, salted, smoked, air dried, cured, chopped, whole, cooked, barbecued, and so on and so forth. Atlantic salmon, a dozen types of herring, local specialty of Odessa barbfish (“bychki”), oysters and scallops and rapan shellfish, anchovies, mackerel, carp, skate, flounder, tuna, and so so so much more of everything. A lot of the fish types from both the Black Sea and the fresh water Ukrainian rivers are local specialties, with names and tastes not known in other parts of the world – a truly seafood lovers’ paradise.
