How dried ‘vobla’ became the most popular Soviet snack

Dried vobla needs no introduction. There it is, lying on a newspaper, waiting to be eaten. Surprisingly, it’s practically unknown outside the post-Soviet countries. Except, perhaps, in Iran, where it’s added to fish pilaf or fried, while, in Russia, even today, this fish enjoys the reputation of the most accessible beer snack.

A Caspian discovery

This small fish, weighing about 150–200 grams and belonging to the carp family, lives exclusively in the Caspian Sea. Its ‘official’ name is Caspian Roach, but, in Russia, it’s known as ‘vobla’. It migrates up rivers to spawn – and that is where it is caught. The Astrakhan Region, located near the Volga Delta and the Caspian Sea, has traditionally been considered one of Russia’s most important fishing regions. It was there that the vobla was dried, both for personal consumption and for sale. As early as the 19th century, dried vobla was harvested on an industrial scale and shipped all over Russia.

Unlike sturgeon and beluga, vobla was very affordable. But, there were some nuances: it was caught only during a short season, plus it has a rather strong "fishy" smell. In the era before the invention of refrigerators, preserving a large catch was a big problem. So, vobla was dried on a massive scale – this made it possible to transport the fish to northern Russian cities and store it all year round.

A picture in oils

Vobla has become a truly popular fish. In 1884, Russian classic writer Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote the satirical story ‘The Dried Vobla’. Through this character, he mocked lost conscience and morality.

Avant-garde artist Pyotr Konchalovsky was the first to make a vobla the main subject of a still life in 1912. Only three of his works featuring a vobla are known to exist.

In 1918, this fish also appeared in a painting by Alexander Kuprin.

During the Soviet years, the vobla never left the screens: it was eaten (or rather, used as a chaser snack) in cult movies like ‘Afonya’ (1975), ‘Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears’ (1979), ‘Beware of the Car’ (1966) and ‘It Can't Be!’ (1975).

It even appears in the animated series ‘Nu, Pogodi!’ (‘Well, Just You Wait!’; 1969) – the wolf convincingly bangs the fish on the table. By the way, do you know why people do that? This softens the vobla and makes it easier to clean. And to avoid staining the table (remember the smell?), the fish was usually placed on a newspaper.

How vobla became a snack

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, back in the days of the Russian Empire, dried vobla was already widespread as a beer snack. Interestingly, this combination has never been practiced anywhere else in the world, nor is it practiced anywhere else today.

Supposedly, shrewd tavern keepers began serving salted vobla so that people would order more beer, since it would make them thirsty. It sounds logical enough, since in other countries salted pretzels and nuts are often served with beer. However, no evidence has been found to support this theory.

Nevertheless, the tradition of drinking beer with vobla not only survived, but became especially popular in the Soviet post-war years. Probably because it was the most democratic and affordable pairing.

Dried fish is still very popular in Russia, but these are completely different types — bream, smelt, taranka. As for vobla, it’s not so easy to find: in recent decades, it has been overfished to the point that its numbers have come under threat. So, Russia currently only sells vobla caught in other Caspian Sea countries.