How the ‘pyshka’ donut became a symbol of St. Petersburg

Moscow’s ‘ponchik’ vs St. Petersburg’s ‘pyshka’

In St. Petersburg, ‘pyshka’ is what they call a donut: the difference between the two is mostly cultural-historical, not gastronomic. The word ‘pyshka’ is Russian, derived from the verb ‘pykhat’; that is, to radiate heat. Usually, in Russia, ‘pyshki’ were soft, rich buns fried in oil.

The word ‘ponchik’, meanwhile, has Polish roots and first appears in Elena Molokhovets’ 1861 cookbook under the name ‘pyshka’ or ‘ponchik’. This was also a bun that was fried in fat. You could add jam inside, or you could make it “empty”.

But, initially, neither version had a hole in the middle. It first appeared in the Soviet era, when the production of ‘pyshki’ and ‘ponchiki’ became automated. In the 1939 ‘Book of Tasty and Healthy Food’, donuts are already made in the shape of a ring.

The process remains the same today: the dough is poured into a vat and then a machine fries the pyshki-donuts in oil and dispenses the finished product.

St. Petersburg’s ‘pyshechnayas’

The first ‘ponchikovaya’ (a donut cafe) in Moscow opened in 1953 near Ostankino Pond, while the first ‘pyshechnaya’ in St. Petersburg opened in 1958 on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street. Both establishments are still operating today.

But, here’s the paradox – although Moscow also has waiting lines for the historic donuts, it was in St. Petersburg that they became a city classic. Of course, the ‘pyshki’ on Bolshaya Konyushennaya are considered exemplary: both the recipe of the legend was born there and the atmosphere of those years has been preserved.

“In Soviet times, ‘pyshechnayas’ were simply among the few establishments that existed in Leningrad where you could eat, so people went to them,” says St. Petersburg guide Elena Bobrova. “The ‘pyshechnaya’ on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street is a kind of island of stability. It survived both the turbulent 1990s and the emerging 2000s. Almost everything there has remained unchanged.”

But, aside from this establishment, you can find a large number of modern ‘pyshechnayas’ in the city. And all of them are hugely popular with both tourists and local residents.

The secret to their success is likely that, in St. Petersburg, ‘pyshechnayas’ are in the city center – it’s hard to pass by without noticing them. At a ‘pyshechnaya’, you don’t need to book a table in advance, like at a restaurant; you can simply buy as many as you want and go on about your business. Besides, the ‘pyshki’ themselves are cheap (about 30-40 rubles apiece, which is approx. $0.40-$0.50) and 2-3 are enough to satisfy one’s hunger.