Entering Berezka is like taking a trip to Eastern Europe. From preserves and jams to vodkas, chocolates, or board games, the new market in Estoril offers products from practically every country of the former Soviet Union. This is the third one in Portugal, all owned by Yana Pskhatsieva, a 46-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan who moved with her family to the western tip of Europe in 2001.
Yana's brother-in-law had been living here for some time. In search of more opportunities and better living conditions, Yana and her husband decided to join him. In 2002, they opened the first Berezka in Setúbal, at a time when there was already a large Eastern European community but the supply of products from those countries was very limited. This was followed around 2008 by the opening of a space in Cascais, very close to the Mercado da Vila.
Now it was Estoril's turn: the new Berezka settled in February in a location where a gardening store had once operated. Since the war in Ukraine began, many Ukrainian and Russian citizens have moved to Portugal, with a strong community with purchasing power settling in the Cascais area — which is already reflected, for example, in the opening of spaces throughout the municipality, such as Liberty and Unity. Yana Pskhatsieva identified the increased demand and decided to expand the business.
"We have products from all over the former Soviet Union," she explains. "We end up getting to know things from different countries, and there are many common elements. It's like Portuguese people knowing Brazilian food." From Russian and Ukrainian beers to the famous herrings in the Baltic countries, there are many typical products to be found there.
Shopping list
At Berezka, you can find smoked mackerel, syrniki cheese cakes, fennel, meat-filled pastries, ice cream in wafer cups, strips of salted cod, pickled cabbage, caviar, or fresh cheeses covered with chocolate, condensed milk, or other flavors.
In addition to having many customers from across Eastern Europe, they attract various people from Nordic countries — where some of these products are also common — but also several curious Portuguese, eager to try new things. Berezka is indeed the ideal place for that.
Rua Samuel Gonçalves Sanches, 40, Estoril. Mon-Sat 10.00-14.00, 15.00-20.00; Sun 10.00-14.00, 15.00-19.00