Why are Russians obsessed with… ‘bird's milk’?
This term itself sounds like nonsense. But, believe us, this is one of the most popular and delicious desserts that appeared in the Soviet era and is still loved in Russia today!
‘Bird’s milk’ is the name of a popular candy. An airy soufflé coated in milk or dark chocolate glaze. The soufflé can have a creamy, lemon or chocolate taste (sometimes, they’re randomly put in the box and you don't know which one you'll get).
The Soviet ‘Bird’s milk’ has a Polish prototype – a candy called ‘Ptasie Mleczko’. In 1967, the USSR Minister of the Food Industry ordered Soviet confectionery factories to create something similar. There was no recipe, so Soviet confectioners developed their own version through trial and error.
The original and first is considered to be the candy from the Vladivostok Confectionery Factory. To this day, this candy from the Far East is especially prized – it’s the main sweet souvenir from the region. The key feature then and now is the use of natural agar-agar as a thickener, while other manufacturers later began using gelatin.
Vladivostok version
For example, after Vladivostok, the Moscow factory ‘Rot Front’ also began producing the candy. It differs slightly in taste and each candy is wrapped in its own individual packaging.
Moscow version
In the 1970s, this candy, beloved across the entire country, received a new interpretation: Moscow’s ‘Praga’ restaurant created a cake of the same name. The same flavor, but in a larger format. It was the same soufflé, but on a sponge cake base and everything covered in chocolate glaze.
A cake
The cake was an instant hit and the restaurant couldn't keep up with orders. Then, in the 1980s, it began to be mass-produced at factories. For many, it remains a favorite treat and a tender taste of childhood.
