Irkutsk is a colorful city with a rich history and original culture. Located 70 km from the city, the majestic Lake Baikal is a blessed land of untouched nature. The best thing you can bring back from a trip is memories of the feelings and emotions experienced when visiting these magical places with amazing energy. Lovely little things purchased during the trip will remind you of a wonderful time spent, will please people close to you.

Pine nuts

The benefits of the fruits of the Siberian cedar pine are difficult to assess. Pine nuts are a source of healthy oils, essential amino acids – lysine, methionine, tryptophan. The use of the product normalizes the activity of the heart, removes cholesterol, strengthens bone tissue and tooth enamel. When traveling around the Baikal region, be sure to buy nuts for yourself and as a gift. Here you can buy freshly harvested pine nuts at a price 3-4 times cheaper than in the European part of Russia.

Chain stores, fairs and souvenir shops offer shelled nuts and peeled kernels in gift bags, beautifully designed bags, birch bark baskets. For children, it is better to buy whole cedar cones. It will be interesting for the child to get the seeds on their own, and the empty big cone will come in handy for making crafts.

You can buy a lot of sweet delicacies with healthy kernels: nuts in white glaze, nuts sprinkled with cocoa powder, roasted in chocolate. An original gift will be jars with a nut kernel in blueberry, dandelion, rosehip syrup. Pine nut oil and pine oleoresin are on sale. Remember, fresh roasting should not be hard. This should be checked when buying, the delicacy should not be stored for a long time.

Baikal omul

Despite the fact that the omul lives only in Lake Baikal and some Siberian rivers, the fish is known to gourmets all over the world. The locals highly valued the omul, called it “Tsar-fish” (kuchelga), considered its meat to be curative for many ailments. Omul belongs to the salmon family, has tender and fatty meat. With proper preparation, a fish dish acquires a unique delicacy taste.

Omul can be purchased dried, salted, hot or cold smoked. Previously, it was recommended to take only dried fish or cold-smoked fish with you on the road (shelf life is 7 days). Modern production offers vacuum-packed omul carcasses, which have a shelf life of up to 3 months.

You can bring omul as a gift in special barrels lined with polyethylene from the inside. The fish is salted in large barrels, then transferred to a souvenir container, poured with brine and spices, sealed with sealing wax on top. Dried omul or fish balyk is wrapped in parchment, packed in birch bark or wooden cases.

We recommend buying several jars of orange-reddish cisco caviar. The product is rich in proteins, valuable amino acids and vitamins, practically does not contain carbohydrates. It is considered useful for people with diseases of the cardiovascular and circulatory system. The product is made without preservatives, by gentle salting.

Herbal preparations and teas

Irkutsk land is rich in ecologically pure medicinal herbs and medicinal roots. Endemics of Sagan-Dail (Adams' rhododendron) and Baikal skullcap grow here – medicinal plants that do not grow anywhere else on the planet. Sagan-dailya, as a tonic tea, has been brewed by Buryat shepherds and hunters since ancient times to overcome long journeys with its help.

Local healers have long used golden root, ginseng, lungwort and fireweed in folk medicine as restorative and strengthening agents. Nettle leaves, currants and raspberries, thyme grass, meadowsweet have been added to a number of collections. Herbal teas of the popular brand “Tea from the Shores of Baikal” are beautifully packaged, have more than a dozen names: “Baikal-Pearl of Siberia”, “Baikal Energy Charge”, “Baikal Power” for men, “Baikal Melodies” for women.

In the manufacture of the product, only natural ingredients are used. Herbal preparations strengthen the immune system, increase vitality, have a bactericidal and antispasmodic effect. Herbal teas from Siberia will come in handy during the cold season, and will be a useful gift to relatives and friends. On sale you can find sachet pads made from local fragrant herbs.

Honey

Walking around the city, do not pass by shops selling honey and bee products. Here you can buy various varieties of a useful product collected by bees in ecologically clean places: “Meadow”, “Taiga”, “Forbs”, “Flower”. Try whipped honey, which has a creamy consistency. The product does not harden over time.

The gifts of cedar forests will help to improve health: taiga honey with bee bread, propolis, ginger, cedar resin, sea buckthorn. Honey with a pine nut kernel is considered a panacea for all diseases. Beekeeping products as a gift look great in wooden barrels weighing from 150 g to 1 kg, beeswax jars or directly in honeycombs.

Candy

There are two candy factories in the region – “Angara” (Irkutsk) and “Amta” (Republic of Buryatia), producing high quality products.

The Angara factory offers candy gift sets in boxes with images of Baikal sights:

The factory produces marshmallows, marshmallows and marmalade with a snowy taste based on natural ingredients – Siberian berries, nuts and honey. Candy factory “Amta” produces delicious cedar brittle with the addition of candied pineapple and apricot, cranberry brittle. As a gift, you can bring premium and multi-level sets “Buryatia”, “Uliger”, “Gifts of Buryatia”.

Chocolate sets are popular among tourists: “Baikal smoked omul”, “Chocolate dumplings”, “Pine cone” (fried pine nuts inside). In chain supermarkets, sweets are much cheaper and fresher than in souvenir shops.

Gems

In Eastern Siberia, there are a large number of deposits of semi-precious gems and ornamental stones. Natural minerals brought back from the trip have magical properties and serve as a reminder of Baikal, a mysterious place where ancient legends come to life. Each jewelry with natural gems is unique, any product will be a wonderful gift.

Semi-precious stones mined in the Baikal region:

Local craftsmen create real masterpieces from stones. Semi-precious stones are used to make rings, earrings, pendants and other jewelry. Set in a silver or gold frame, they are widely represented in stores and at local fairs. People come to Irkutsk for gems even from abroad, semi-precious stones can improve a person's aura, heal ailments.

On sale you can find many goods from valuable ornamental stones mined in Siberia (malachite, amazonite, baicalite). Stone carving masters make original key chains and brooches, bracelets, caskets and vases, various figurines. In the city, many jewelry shops are concentrated on Lenina Street, next to the Trud stadium, a large selection of stones and products in the Kedr shopping center, Rublev shopping center.

In the village of Slyudyanka, there is the Mineralogical Museum, where you can buy gems inexpensively. It organizes excursions to the deposits with the opportunity to make independent discoveries. A large selection of gems is presented in Listvyanka. Local residents do not recommend buying amber products. The stone is not mined in Siberia, but brought from Kaliningrad, it is in demand among tourists from China.

Products from birch bark and cedar

From Siberia it is necessary to bring wooden products, which the Irkutsk land is famous for. Cedar wood has a beautiful, durable texture and a pleasant aroma. Wood carvers make environmentally friendly dishes from natural materials, food in which stays fresh for a long time: bread bins, bowls, kegs.

Antibacterial cutting boards, intricately carved plates and spoons, hot coasters, which, when used, begin to spread the coniferous aroma of the forest, are popular. Hair care accessories made from cedar wood strengthen the scalp and improve the growth of curls.

Bath accessories – ladles, scoops, wooden rugs have an antimicrobial effect, emit phytoncides in humid air. On sale you can find wooden candlesticks, key holders, caskets, whistles. Products made of birch bark are represented by tuesas, baskets, and boxes. The material is used for the manufacture of dishes from natural materials: bread bins, spice sets, fruit plates.

Ceramics

Souvenir shops offer a variety of ceramic figurines. These are colorful ethnic characters in national costumes: shamans with tambourines, steppe beauties, courageous heroes. There are many figurines of typical representatives of the Siberian fauna on sale: bear, wolf, Baikal seal, roe deer and red deer.

In the Tavolga workshop, high-strength ceramic dishes are made on a potter's wheel, which are fired at a temperature of 1,000 ° C, and then painted by hand. Craftsmen make colorfully painted plates, brightly colored spoons, deep bowls for manti and dumplings with long-handled scoops. Beautiful vases, jugs and candlesticks are also made here.

Les art workshop produces ceramic figurines, brooches, mugs and whistles using a unique technology. Each product is signed, glazed on top, baked in the ground, and then fired at the stake. As a memento of the trip, you can buy magnets and ceramic photo frames depicting views of Irkutsk and Lake Baikal.

A visiting card is the shutters of wooden houses, decorated with intricate carvings. Unique magnets and brooches-shutters are popular among tourists – miniature copies of the architraves of Siberian windows. Blue brooches, repeating the outlines of Baikal, are sold well.

Baikal sulfur

Natural antiseptic – Baikal sulfur (resin) is extracted from the resin of Siberian larch. Solid brown mass contains conifer phytoncides, healing vitamins and minerals. Local residents have long chewed sulfur to prevent scurvy, dental diseases, vitamin deficiencies. Baikal sulfur is made in the form of plates resembling ordinary chewing gum. On sale you can find packages of 5 and 50 lozenges weighing 3 g or 5 g.

Gum has a specific taste, which cannot be called very pleasant, but the resin perfectly strengthens tooth enamel, protects against caries, and inhibits the development of periodontal disease. Baikal sulfur is inexpensive, stored for a long time, its benefits are priceless. If you have problems with your teeth, we recommend buying several packages, in other regions it is problematic to buy healing resin.

Charoite Jewelry

The only deposit of charoite in the world is located on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Sokha. The stone was discovered relatively recently, in 1948, but its deposits turned out to be small and developments are gradually depleted. Charoite is a unique stone with a glassy sheen, ranging in color from pale lilac to deep purple.

The patterns on the cut of the mineral resemble the starry sky, cirrus clouds, waterfall jets. Products from charoite cannot be found anywhere outside of Siberia, their prices are constantly growing. Local craftsmen make bracelets, beads, rings from ornamental stone. Charoite looks exquisite in a silver frame. Bring yourself a “piece of Siberia” as a keepsake or give a stone that will soon become a rarity to your friends.

It is believed that the mineral relieves headaches, helps to acquire peace of mind and harmony. The cost of products is in a wide price range. When buying, do not forget to ask the seller about the availability of a quality certificate. Due to the decrease in production rates, cases of selling fakes have become more frequent on the market.

Babrbuk

Series “Babrbuk” – books “Legends of Lake Baikal”, offered in an accessible form for adults and children. The idea of creation belongs to the computer designer D. Miromanov, who, together with the artist M. Ryumshina, implemented an interesting project. The first book about the Irkutsk Territory and Baikal was released in 2017 and took the form of an investigation-quest.

The purpose of the publication is to show people all the primordial beauty of the surrounding nature of the south-east of Siberia. To the surprise of the authors of the project, the books were eagerly sold out not only by tourists, but also by local residents who sincerely love their land and want to learn more about its history.

The comic book “Legends of Lake Baikal. Angara beads. The graphic novel is made on the basis of ancient legends and fairy tales about a wonderful lake, dedicated to the Bogatyr Baikal and his daughter Angara. On the pages you can find games and riddles for children, stickers and places for coloring. The original book in a wooden gift box is a wonderful present that everyone will appreciate.

Amulets and amulets

The Irkutsk region is adjacent to the Republic of Buryatia, the influence of Buddhism is felt here. During your vacation, you can visit a real Buddhist temple-datsan. In the shop at the temple you can buy smoking sticks, Buddha figurines, incense, bells, thangkas (Buddhist paintings), jade or onyx rosaries.

Consult with the seller: by the year of birth, he will determine your patron and select an amulet for good luck fulfilling all desires. By choosing amulets for friends and acquaintances, you will make them an original and pleasant gift. The esoteric shops of the city sell a lot of charms from evil spirits and talismans for all occasions.

The amulets are made of wood, bone, horn or ceramics, decorated with Siberian gems, some of them are engraved. In the shops you can find objects of worship of the pagan beliefs of the indigenous inhabitants of Eastern Siberia: shaman tambourines, key rings in the form of fangs of wild animals made of bronze, necklaces and pendants from the horn of roe deer and red deer.

Wool notebooks

The creative ideas of the designers of the Heat of Baikal workshop turned the production of covers for diaries and notebooks into a real work of art. Unique souvenirs are sketchbooks, the covers of which are a wool base with the addition of silk, linen and bamboo fibers. Stylish design and a great combination of colors involuntarily catches the eye.

The drawings on the covers are reminiscent of the flowing waters of Lake Baikal, taiga forests and mountain peaks. Notebooks with a soft velvety surface are pleasant to hold in hands; a stylish accessory will complement the image of a business woman. The cover is easily removed, when the notebook ends, it is replaced with another one.

Valeshi

Valesh production is widely developed in the city. Comfortable shoes made of natural sheep felt, the main purpose of which is to keep feet dry and warm, are sewn in large industries and in private workshops. On sale you can find products of different colors with decorations in the form of fur pompoms or inserts, embroidery, appliqués. Wales are produced: with a high top, half-vales – up to the middle of the lower leg, a shortened version – up to the ankle.

High boots are equipped with a loop on the back of the bootleg, the top can be tightened with straps with buckles or half rings with laces to protect against wind and snow. Each model has a soft insole with a heel. The sole of the shoe is made of EVA material. Lightweight and elastic, it serves as additional thermal insulation for the foot.

With valeshes, designed for Siberian frosts, bought for yourself and your family, any cold is not terrible. When choosing shoes in a store or market, please note that the boots do not shrink when worn. On the contrary, they stretch a little and sit comfortably on the leg. Valeshi do not need to be bought with a margin, products should fit the leg tightly.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the assortment: instagram.com/valeshi_irk/.

Leather products

If you want to buy something national and practical, go to the shopping centers and souvenir shops of the city. Here you can find a lot of interesting and inexpensive leather goods: bags and wallets of different sizes and styles, trouser belts. High quality products are decorated with national symbols, looking at them you can immediately see that they were brought from Lake Baikal.

You can bring a lot of original gifts that will delight men: backgammon in a leather case, sets of souvenir knives and skewers in cases with ornaments, compasses and flasks in leather cases. It sells stylish men's accessories that will be a great present for a dear person: key holders, purses, cases, clips for banknotes.

Women will love the soft and comfortable leather slippers with upturned toes and embroidered ornaments in an oriental style. The color of the shoes can be chosen at will. Young people will be happy to receive wide leather bracelets with interlaced straps or leggings as a gift. Esoteric lovers will be able to purchase leather bracelets-amulets – “Tree of Life”, “Yin-Yang”, stylish bracelets made of snake skin.

We recommend paying attention to the author's works made of Avokindorg leather.