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History of chocolate making in Russia

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:48:20 +0000

Hi, there!

Hope you have been enjoying my blog so far, even though I am not regular nor do I post anything unusual.

History of chocolates is known. Especially how the cocoa was brought to Europe and it’s development over the years from a healthy drink for the privileged to chocolate bars and candies for everyone.

Little is known about how and when cocoa ended up in Russia. Even Russian language resources don’t give a very clear picture about the history of chocolate making in Russia. However, whatever I managed to find on the web, the summary of it will be presented below.

There are two opinions about chocolate’s first appearance in Russia. Some say that it was Peter I (Peter the Great, 1672-1725) who brought cocoa together with coffee from Europe. However, there isn’t much evidence to support this opinion, but mainly an assumption because of Peter’s adventurous nature and his admiration of Europe’s development. Second opinion is that during the reign of Catherine II (Catherine the Great, 1729-1796), Francisco De Miranda (d. 1816), one of the founders of Venezuela, brought the cocoa and the recipe for making chocolate drink to Russia in 1786.

After that cocoa had started to penetrate the nobility as a health drink, and later, after invented technology to make chocolate bars was brought to Russia, major sweets manufacturers began making chocolate confections.

The history of chocolates in Russia revolves around three major manufacturers, all of which are based in Moscow. The modern names of which (and the corresponding historical names in brackets) are as follows: (1) Concern Babaevsky (Abrikosov’s sons); (2) Red October (Einem); and (3) Rot Front (Lenov Trading House). There were other manufacturers, like Siu & Ko. (Bolshevik); and George Borman, but the former was not making chocolates, and the latter closed down after the October revolution of 1917.

Next, I will present a brief history of the three most successful manufacturers, mentioned above.

Confectionery Concern “Babaevsky”.

Babaevsky concern is the oldest confectionary factory in Russia. Its history dates back to 1804, when the Abrikosovs’ family manufactory was opened in Moscow. Being a serf, its founder Stepan Nikolaev was sent to Moscow by his landlady to start confectionary business and earned enough to buy manumission for himself and his family. The last name of the Abrikosovs (meaning apricot in English) was given to the family for delicious sweets made from fruit. The manufactory grew into a factory and in the 1880s became the biggest confectionary enterprise in Moscow.

In 1899 the Abrikosov and sons partnership was awarded the title of the supplier to the royal household.

After the Revolution of 1917 the factory and all its facilities were nationalized and renamed as the National confectionary factory #2. In 1922 the factory was renamed after Petr Babaev, the chairman of the district executive committee.

Krasniy Oktyabr (Red October)

The confectionery factory “Krasniy Oktyabr” (Red October” was founded in 1851 by a German national – Theodor Ferdinand font Einem. In 1867 the factory become known as “Einem. Partnership of steam factory for chocolate and tea cookies” and was recorded as such in the directory of “Factories and Plants of the Russian Empire.” After the October revolution of 1917, the factory was nationalized a year later and given the name of “State Confectionery Factory #1, Former Einem,” which later was renamed again to its present “Krasniy Oktyabr.”

Rot Front

In 1826 the Lenov family in Moscow founded a confectionery workshop, which later developed into “G.A. and E.S. Lenov Trade House.” Just like other factories at that time, Lenov’s business was nationalized in 1917. In 1931, after having been known as “Factory No.7″ for some time, it was renamed to “Rot Front” (short for Roter Frontkampferbund – a military wing of the German communist party founded in 1920s).

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For more information on history of chocolates in Russia, please, refer to:

Some videos on health benefits of dark chocolates

admin — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:05:04 +0000

Bitter chocolate with cayenne pepper

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:41:23 +0000

Here in Malaysia most of the people who see this product begin to laugh uncontrollably. Strange behavior, indeed. But it seems so weird for them that a chocolate could be spicy. Many can’t come to terms with the fact that you can actually combine chocolate and chili in one product, and quite successfully at that. We allow our customers to try this chocolate during fairs and promotions, but still get strange response. However, there was one Malay lady recently who bought two bitter chocolates with chili and immediately gave them to her children, who were quite happy with the taste.

This is a 75% bitter chocolate with a bit of cayenne pepper oil, which makes it a little spicy. However, the bitterness is not felt immediately upon putting this chocolate in the mouth. Instead, the spicy taste only comes as an aftertaste, in the throat. Very interesting sensation. It’s not available in stores yet, but one can purchase this chocolate during promotions or fairs that Sladoff is participating at. Please, check our website or Facebook for more information.

The Ultimate in bitter chocolates

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:07:18 +0000

It’s quite funny to see people’s faces when they see this product. Some can’t believe what they see, others turn it up side down and ask whether it’s 66%, but the majority get curious and want to try it. We usually don’t let our customer test this chocolate because many are turned off by its bitterness. However, the real chocolate lover understands it right away and always comes back for more.

To describe this chocolate is quite hard. You can say it’s bitter or sugarless or expensive, but it won’t do any good to this exquisite product. The manufacturer really managed to preserve all the flavors of cocoa with minimum additional ingredients. In fact, it only contains cocoa mass, salt and natural vanilla.

We have two types of packaging for the 99% chocolate. One is the full 72g bar, and another one is 100g containing 20 small individually packed bars in a nice box.

How to eat it? It’s another question we get from our Malaysian customers, because they would usually eat the whole bar right away or finish one throughout the day. We position this chocolate as a food supplement whereby you don’t eat more than one little square a day. This small square actually fulfills your daily requirement for anti-oxidants.

So, if you see this chocolate somewhere in the market, do try it. Also, when you are about to eat this chocolate, have some coffee or tea ready, so as to truly enjoy the goodness of this product.

Benefits of bitter chocolates

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:44:16 +0000

People still don’t know much about chocolates and are mostly concerned about negative impact on health by eating this delicious product. While one should be concerned about one’s health in general, knowledge about food is essential because most diseases originate from the food we consume on daily basis. I am not going to elaborate on what foods you should or should not eat, but will touch upon chocolates, and whether they have negative effects on the body.

Let’s start with milk chocolates. As I am allergic to milk protein, it’s clearly a no brainer that I should avoid eating it. Milk protein causes allergic reaction in many people, and many a time should be avoided altogether (not only milk chocolates, but anything containing this protein).

Sugar is another chocolate ingredient that is not wholesome and has negative effects on many people. Hence, when the chocolates is too sweet and the bitterness is hidden by sugar, the benefits of whatever cocoa left in the chocolate are diminished. Moreover, diabetics should avoid such chocolates altogether. However, when really bitter chocolates contain just a little sugar, it does not hurt and it’s easier to consume bitter chocolates (for me bitter chocolate is the one containing over 70% of cocoa mass).

Lecithin is an important ingredient in chocolates, which is used in order to “keep cocoa and cocoa butter from separating”. This substance is generally safe to consume and is even sold as food supplement. To read more about lecithin, please, see this article on Wikipedia.

Now, when it comes to benefits of bitter chocolates, one should be aware of the benefits of cocoa in general. First and the foremost benefit of cocoa and real bitter chocolates is their antioxidant content. Flavonols, like other anti-oxidants, are good for the blood vessels and generally for the overall health. A lot of research has been and is being done about chocolates and their benefits, and many do suggest that dark chocolates are indeed healthy. To read more about various research and check out the links, please, visit this page on our website.

Many people, especially in Malaysia, do not like the bitterness of dark chocolates, especially of the ones that Sladoff is selling in the market. It takes a lot of effort to explain to our customers about Russian bitter chocolates and their health benefits. In the end, many customers become return buyers of our products, especially the ultimate in bitter chocolates: the 99% from a small manufacturer in the Russian town of Kasimov, which is in the Ryazan region.

If you are shopping for chocolates in Kuala Lumpur, give our chocolates a try and you won’t be disappointed. Where to buy? Well, there are not many places where you can buy them at the moment, but check out this page on our website to know where to purchase fine Russian chocolates.

How to spot good chocolate

admin — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:06:11 +0000

Chocolates come in so many varieties that it’s quite overwhelming, and it is difficult to choose the best. People, most of the time, when choosing chocolate products rely on their two senses: sight and taste. However, it all depends on who you are buying the chocolate for and for what occasion. If it’s a gift for someone very close, you tend to choose something expensive and even read labels and ingredients. If the gift is for someone you barely know, it tends to be something fairly cheap but may be well designed. When you buy for yourself or your loved ones, you tend to think of benefits as well as read the ingredients.

That’s where we will start: the ingredients.

One major rule of thumb is – the less ingredients, the better. Good chocolate must contain cocoa mass (or cocoa liquor, the more of it, the better). Secondly, it may contain sugar or some natural sweetener (avoid artificial sweeteners at all cost). Thirdly, good chocolate may contain some flavour – natural vanilla, for example. Other natural flavourings could also be used. Fourthly, an emulsifier (like soy lecithin) could be present, but its presence is not a requirement for good chocolate, as its purpose is to help in giving the chocolate its smooth appearance. Other ingredients, like nuts and raisins, could be added for different taste and effect. Hence, one should read through the ingredients, and make sure that your chocolate has good ingredients, and remember the rule of “less is better.”

Beside ingredients, people look at the chocolate’s outward appearance. It entirely depends on personal taste, but the more sophisticated look tends to be more attractive, as chocolate is perceived as a luxury item. Milk chocolate packing tends to have lighter colours, while dark and bitter chocolates usually would have dark brown or black packaging. So, depending on your preference, milk or dark chocolate, you would want to seek chocolates with packaging that is both serious and professional looking. However, it’s now always true. Some chocolate with gorgeous packaging is plain rubbish. Beware.

Taste. After looking at chocolate, the next thing you use to judge the chocolate (usually) is the sense of taste. Good chocolate must have some bitterness and cocoa flavour. The bitterness and flavour depend on cocoa content, whereby the higher the percentage the more bitter the chocolate tends to be. However, bitterness can be hidden by adding various other flavours, nuts and sweeteners. If you are happy with the ingredients, the way it looks and it appeals to your sense of taste, then that’s a good chocolate for you. Go on, indulge, but do not overindulge.

Hello and welcome to Sladoff blog!

admin — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:58:08 +0000

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