sushka
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: sushkas
form: sushki
form: sooshka
Etymology: From Russian су́шка (súška).
Senses: examples: text: Нас было двадцать шесть человек — двадцать шесть живых машин, запертых в сыром подвале, где мы с утра до вечера месили тесто, делая крендели и сушки.
ref: [1920], Maxim Gorky [pseudonym; Alexey Maximovich Pyeshkov], translated by R[ochelle] S[lavyanskaia] Townsend, “Twenty-Six Men and a Girl”, in John A[lexander] Hammerton, editor, The Masterpiece Library of Short Stories: The Thousand Best Complete Tales of all Times and all Countries, volume XIII (Russian, Etc.), London: The Educational Book Company Limited, page 80:
roman: Nas bylo dvadcatʹ šestʹ čelovek — dvadcatʹ šestʹ živyx mašin, zapertyx v syrom podvale, gde my s utra do večera mesili testo, delaja krendeli i suški.
text: And after all, for beer we require traditional snacks: Caspian roaches, crawfish, hard-boiled eggs, not to mention peas, sushkas, black zwiebacks...
ref: 1966, Translations on Soviet Law and Social Regulations, U.S. Department of Commerce, Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information, Joint Publications Research Service, page 16:
text: Soviet sorts of baranka-type articles, such as sushkas, can be kept for many months without going stale.
ref: 1971, Foreign Trade, U.S.S.R. Ministry of Foreign Trade, page 42, columns 1–2:
text: Some of the sushkas, which are thin dry rings of dough were even named after famous writers and poets who showed a predilection for them. There were vanilla sushkas named after Pushkin, sushkas made with mustard oil named after Lermontov, sushkas with poppy seeds that bore the name of Chekhov and salt ones that were liked by Yesenin.
ref: 1990, “Breads”, in Culture and Life, U.S.S.R. Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries (VOKS), page 47, column 1:
text: Beer took up most of the small space, but they also had cold cuts—that must have been the source of the smell—and, more important, what I was looking for: sushki. These were round, crunchy, slightly sweet bread rings. Because they were a little sweet you could have them with tea, but because they weren’t too sweet you could also have them with beer. I bought two packets, one with poppy seeds, one without. Unlike everything else in the new Russia, sushki were still cheap.
ref: 2018, Keith Gessen, A Terrible Country: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Viking, →ISBN, page 30:
text: He dropped the sack of flour next to the table and went to inspect the tray of hot sushki. […] Alexey lowered the knife and placed two sushki on a porcelain plate, which he set in front of Lulu.
ref: 2019, Ann Charles, Sam Lucky, Life at the Coffin Joint (Deadwood Undertaker; 1), →ISBN:
text: Alexander Isaakovich, his wife and his little girl were on two occasions invited to the dacha of a superior party official to stir jam into black tea and nibble at sushki. […] They dunked their sushki in the sweet black tea, squinted at the American-looking mid-range car that was parked in the vine-covered garage construction—a dark blue Pobeda, a “Victory”—and held sophisticated conversations about Russian literature and the German-Soviet war.
ref: 2019, Sasha Marianna Salzmann, translated by Imogen Taylor, “Etya and Shura”, in Beside Myself: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Other Press, →ISBN, page 141:
text: As a child I was often hungry and hunger made me impatient. If my mother was very late with cooking, she gave us a common flour-based snack, bubliki, baranki, sushki, suhariki or pryaniki. It was only in retrospect that I realised that all these traditional Eastern-European snacks were a variation of dried bread. When she handed out one of the treats, she said that they were meant to “kill the worm” (“zamarit chervichka” in Russian). At that time, I interpreted this literally, as I didn’t know that this was an expression that meant “to have a small bite before a proper meal”.
ref: 2023, Nanda Milbreta, “How We Killed the Worms”, in Kommunalka Child, London: Austin Macauley Publishers, →ISBN, part I:
text: People like sushki and baranki because they are cheap and taste good.
ref: 2023, Ольга Наговицына, “Module 3. Tasty treats!”, in Поурочные разработки по английскому языку. 4 класс (к УМК Н. И. Быковой и др. («Spotlight»)), Moscow: Bako, →ISBN, page 85:
text: “Here, sushki, warm from oven.” / She grabbed two and thanked him in her best Russian, “Spu-see-buh.” / Alexey and Dmitry had taught her that sushki was one of her favorite snacks. If she even thought about the crunchy, ring-shaped sweet bread, she practically drooled.
ref: 2024, Ann Charles, Sam Lucky, Hip Deep in Bad Company (Deadwood Undertaker; 5), Prescott, Ariz., →ISBN:
text: Explore the regional variations that showcase the unique flavors of Siberia, while festive treats like Paskha Cookies and Sushki add a touch of celebration to your kitchen.
ref: 2024, Mhdi Ali, Russian Cookie Biscuits 101: Mastering Russian Cookie Biscuits, Draft2digital, →ISBN:
glosses: A traditional Eastern European small, crunchy, mildly sweet bread ring eaten for dessert, usually with tea or coffee.