Only the wealthy could afford: what products were elite in the USSR

Despite the fact that the USSR tried to make everyone equal and the same, it was easy to single out the wealthier people from the crowd. Social inequality was not only in the distribution of housing, goods or cars.

Some food, which today is considered quite ordinary, in the USSR was available only to a select few. About it in more detail read in the material OBOZ.UA.

In the Soviet Union, the deficit was a widespread phenomenon, concerning almost all spheres of life, including food products. However, even in times of total shortages, some people with means, influence and connections, could afford premium products, unavailable to the majority.

Hard cheese

In the Soviet Union, cheese was a far cry from the everyday product we are used to seeing on our tables today. Most of the cheeses available to ordinary citizens were processed and were not of high quality.

Hard varieties such as Parmesan, Camembert or Cheddar were considered truly rare and were only available to officials and influential people. On the tables of ordinary people you could see only "Russian", "Yaroslavsky" or "Dutch" cheese.

Sea delicacies

Today, shrimp, mussels and other seafood can be found in any supermarket, but in the USSR it was a luxury available only to a select few and residents of maritime regions.

The most common seafood on the tables of ordinary people was ordinary herring, and fish such as perch, pollock or trout were a real scarcity. However, the elite could afford to eat shrimp, oysters and even sea urchins.

Ready-to-eat food

Frozen convenience foods, which were just beginning to gain popularity in the West, were available in the USSR only in narrow circles. Most of the dishes that were freely available were of poor quality and almost impossible to eat.

The only exception was potato sticks, which resembled modern French fries. And for the Soviet elite, there was a catalog of special products, where you could order high-quality semi-finished products at an ultra-high price.

Sweets

Although there was a lot of chocolate and candy in the USSR, their tastes were quite simple. Therefore, children dreamed of scarce bars from the United States and Europe, but such a treat was extremely rare and available only to wealthy families. Often Soviet children, instead of candy, even drowned sugar on a spoon to pamper themselves in some way.

The cakes that were available to most people consisted mostly of heavy sponge cakes and fatty cream. In general, all sweets in the Soviet Union were made with a lot of sugar and butter, so they were not only unpalatable, but also very harmful.

Alcohol

Alcohol was available in the USSR, but its assortment was scarce. Mostly it was beer and vodka, which could be found in any store. Sometimes cognac and champagne appeared on the shelves, but their quality was very low. About such drinks as liqueurs, tequila or whiskey, most Soviet citizens have not even heard.

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