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This article is the first in a series focusing on different ethnic and international markets in the Kansas City area. Being only slightly less ignorant than your average Midwestern guy on the subject of international cuisine, I plan to take someone along to help filter and translate the experiences of each locale. I wanted to learn more about what European Delights has to offer so I asked my friend Meesha, author of the local blog Kansas City With The Russian Accent, to show me around. Meesha writes about food frequently, documenting foodstuffs like borscht, pickles and salo on his site, as well as his frequent forays to interesting local restaurants. He has lived in the United States for the better part of 20 years, but still cultivates a taste for some of the flavors of his youth. From reading his blog and talking to him I believe this is not pure nostalgia but merely personal preference. Because of his upbringing, his palate is simply a little different than many average born and bred Americans. Or as he told me, "I don't have a palate, I just eat stuff."

"Our customers are Polish, Russian, Yugoslavian...maybe when this construction is over we'll get some Americans to come," said Edward Proshak, the owner of European Delights market in Overland Park, Kan. The parking lot at this strip mall near 95th and Antioch is currently under construction, creating a veritable disaster area of rubble, heavy equipment and puddles of dirty water. Fortunately the market has a loyal customer base who visit the store for everything from imported chocolate to smoked fish to specialty breads, regardless of the mild inconvenience. Proshak and some of his family members have operated the market for six years, first on the east side of Antioch then at the current location, 8841 W 95th street, for the last two years.

The refrigerator banks at the back of the store contain many European delicacies that bear resemblances to Western foods and some that are quite unique. Sure, they have layer cakes and Russian mayonnaise, but we also saw a variety of brined fish in small packages. I was surprised to see quite a variety of cheeses on the shelf. Farmer's cheese seemed to be particularly well represented. Meesha said that Russians commonly make their own versions of this cheese at home. Several loaves of rye and wheat bread, most likely baked in a cosmopolitan distribution hub like Chicago or New York sat next door in the freezer. Meesha prefers fresher bread from Hen House market but indicated that his mother loves the Russian bread. The freezers also held a quite a lot of ice cream in both large and individual portions.

Desserts come in all shapes in sizes at European Delights. You can get whole frozen layer cakes imported from Russian distributors in New York, as well as many types of cookies, rugelach and other pastries rolled with poppy seed, apricot and other fillings. The candy selection alone makes European Delights worth the trip. Bins of hard candy and chocolate fill two full aisles and run from $3.99 to $6.99 per pound. Meesha promised, "Russian chocolate is the best." I am not a huge candy fan but the chocolates indeed tasted better than the American supermarket stuff and is probably quite a bit cheaper than artisanal European chocolates

Proshak was kind enough to provide us with samples of several sausages, including a hard kosher salami that knocked my socks off. Needless to say, I walked out with a quarter pound for my private larder at a price of $10.99 per pound. I passed on the huge log of tongue sausage but that was probably a mistake since it turns out to be quite the popular item. You can choose from approximately two dozen kinds of meats, and even more types of cheeses. Meesha is partial to a processed, smoked Gouda that he indicated is "not exactly a delicacy or anything." I would characterize it as a guilty pleasure, probably really tasty melted on a grilled sandwich.

A late lunch

Having skipped lunch, Meesha and I decided to take our haul over to his mother's apartment in northern Overland Park and have a bite to eat. She was all too happy to talk about Russian food with us. We ended up spending a couple of hours in her company where she shamelessly waited on us, even plying us with a homemade cranberry vodka concoction while we sampled some items.

The smoked mackerel we bought had the consistency of raw fish and was extremely greasy with tough skin that had to be peeled away. Due to the oiliness, consumption of this item required an absurd number of paper towels. I found the texture and flavor somewhat off-putting until, at Meesha's suggestion, I ate it on some crusty bread with a pat of cold butter. It was absolutely divine, but so rich that I could not fathom eating more than a thick slice or two. If you like lox, you should try mackerel on a bagel with traditional accouterments.

Meesha's mother then brought down a can of sprotes, a term that refers to a preparation of smoked small fish packed in oil. We also ate these on bread; they tasted like mild anchovies with a nice smoky kick. She told me they were good with a little cucumber which we did not have at hand. I was chastised for attempting to substitute a slice of pickle.

Then came the pelmeni, little soft chicken-filled dumplings that reminded me of Chinese wontons. We also had a potato-filled variety which are commonly known as vareniki. Meesha's mother boiled them together in salted water, then dumped them into a bowl with a little butter. Much like the oft-lauded pierogi, these can be eaten with sour cream, caramelized onions, brown butter or vinegar. The vareniki were virtually indistinguishable from pierogi in fact, other than their slightly smaller size.

At $4.99 for a one-pound bag, pelmeni are satisfying, if basic, treats that are popular with Russians short on cash. "This is student food," Meesha said, "There are whole restaurants that serve just these things."

Stuffed to the gills, we nonetheless made room for some homemade farmer's cheese drizzled with honey. Meesha's mother routinely makes the cheese on her counter top, soaking live cultures in milk for a while, then straining the solids with cheesecloth. The process is somewhat similar to the production of ricotta or fresh mozzarella, though the final result is rather different. It tastes fresh and slightly sour with a consistency somewhere between mascapone and cottage cheese.

Last, we enjoyed some hibiscus tea with some chocolate and other sweets. The most intriguing dessert was halva, a crumbly wedge of ground sunflower seeds and sugar. To eat it, you just cut or pinch a piece from the block and toss it back. The stuff melts in your mouth, and reminds me of a more complex, less sweet version of the popular Mexican candy, De La Rosa dulce de cacahuate. While the origins of halva most likely lie in the Middle East where it is made with sesame seeds, Eastern Europeans and Russians tend to prefer the sunflower version. I thought it was outstanding, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.

Eventually, Meesha and I had tried pretty much everything we had procured from European Delights. It was 3:30 in the afternoon, and the prospect of my previously planned steak dinner seemed increasingly absurd. "Do you need a nap?" Meesha joked, "You can lie down over there." Yes I had eaten a lot of food, but I did not need a rest as my mind was much fuller than my stomach.

Other don't-miss items at the European market

European Delights has more kinds of canned mushrooms and fish than you can imagine. You can also get coffee, tea, condiments and something called "Army Brand Officer's Pork Loaf," thusly named because a similar item is regularly served to Russian soldiers. The label is designed with a camouflage-like pattern but "the one you get in the Army looks nothing like this," Meesha assured me.

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