In Soviet culture, shashlyk — a popular meal of skewered and grilled cubes of meat — was a traditional dish for outdoor picnics and informal banquets. As an experienced hunter, Mikhail Kalashnikov was well versed in butchering and cooking different types of meat. Going out fishing or hunting, he always brought skewers — metal rods with a pointed end. After the authorities gave him a dacha, the designer equipped a special area for cooking shashlyk. In the 1980s, Kalashnikov assembled an improvised mangal.
Kalashnikov’s friend Valentin Sokolov wrote,
Kalashnikov’s friend Valentin Sokolov wrote,
