International Snacks

Snackers in the Soviet Union opt for piroshki-- stuffed pastries--which you can buy on the streets there just as we buy hot dogs here. Now piroshki have come to California. The brand name, Igor’s Piroshki , may sound Russian, but there have been some changes. Instead of buying the pastries on the street, you’ll find them in a supermarket freezer. And typical Russian fillings such as onion and egg, cabbage and egg, or mushroom and rice have given way to a zesty pizza mixture, beef and Cheddar, or chicken and vegetable enclosed in yeast dough.

The mythical Igor is the figurehead of Continental Delights, a Hayward, Calif., firm. Once a mom-and-pop operation, Continental has zoomed to $13 million a year in piroshki sales, says Jim Kelly, chief executive officer. Kelly figures that Russian emigres in San Francisco introduced piroshki to the Bay Area long ago. Now these Russian sandwiches have turned into American-style convenience food. They heat in a couple of minutes in the microwave. Or you can bake them in a conventional oven to obtain a crunchier texture. Eat them whole, like a sandwich or burrito, or cut them up for appetizers.

The fully cooked piroshki come in two styles, baked (chicken and vegetable; pizza deluxe) or fried in canola oil (beef and Cheddar). Igor’s piroshki sell for $1.29.

They’re available at Ralphs, Vons, Alpha Beta and Hughes and in the fast-food section of some convenience stores.

Brewing beer at home is easy, using the new microbreweries composed of a sack and packet of yeast. All you do is add water and yeast to the sack and wait three weeks for the beer to develop. Inlet Inc. of San Anselmo, Calif., is offering a microbrewery that produces English ale under the Axbridge label. The yield is 20 English pints, which in America translates to 40 10-ounce (1 1/4 cup) servings. The price is $29.50 plus tax and $3 for handling.

To place mail orders, call Inlet at (415) 459-5656 or (800) 786-5665.

Instead of snacking on candy bars, try a chewy dried banana. Called “Sunny Nanners,” the dried whole bananas are imported from Colombia and distributed by Melissa’s brand. They’re not crisp like chips but soft and flexible, and you can use them for baking as well as snacking. Dehydration removes 87% of the water, so the “nanners” require no refrigeration.

A handy two-banana pack fits neatly into a pocket, purse or backpack. There is also an 8.2-ounce pack that contains up to 10 bananas. The small packs sell for 50 cents to 59 cents; the large pack is $2.59.

Look for them at Albertsons, Boys and Hughes markets.