If you’re not familiar with Russia and thinking of how the country seems to be cold most time of the year, it might come as a surprise for you that ice cream is actually one of the most popular desserts there. To the majority of people in the world, Italy is the famous one with its gelato together with the fact that the recipe is all around and used in other countries. But, you should know that Russia also have their own special kinds of ice cream which recipes come all the way from the Soviet era. It’s safe to say that Russian ice cream is sweet and nostalgic. Let us see now 6 popular types of yummy Russian ice cream you might want to taste after reading this article.
1. Stakanchik
This is the ice cream that comes in a wafer cup. The flavors and ingredients of the filling of the cup, which is the ice cream itself, are richly varied; from the basic favorite like vanilla and chocolate to caramel and berries. The consistency of the ice cream may be different from one shop to the other; one may put more cream while the other have more milk. The scoop of ice cream in the cup, the stakanchik, then gets topped with chocolate syrup, condensed milk, chopped fruits or nuts. This type of ice cream is nice and convenient to be eaten while having a walk in the park.
2. Eskimo
Yes, you read it right. It is eskimo, but not the tribe that inhabit the north pole. This ice cream comes on a stick and covered with a thin layer of chocolate shell. This type is very common and can easily be found everywhere around the world, whether in a convenience store or stalls in the park. Just like stakanchik, the flavor of the ice cream varies. Eskimo can be entirely ice if it is a popsicle that usually takes fruity flavors. This ice cream or popsicle is very fun and popular during the summer, but can be quite challenging to be savored because it will melt quite quickly and get messy on your hand.
3. Lakomka
Because this brand of ice cream had only started to appear in the Russian market in the 70’s, it becomes the youngest one among the other types of Russian ice cream. Lakomka is unique because it has no handle like a cup, cone or stick. It is a plain barrel-shaped ice cream covered in frozen chocolate whipped cream. Once you get it in your hand, it will melt from your body heat. Messy and fun, that’s what lakomka is. The newest modern invention to lakomka is, instead of getting a coat of frozen chocolate, it gets rolled on a blanket of crushed nuts with honey glaze and called shelkunchik or similar to nutcracker. Russians even love to eat them on cold winter days! It is that good and irresistible.
4. Briket
Judging from the name, you can tell that this ice cream is shaped like a brick. It is the simplest type of ice cream because of the serving shape and also because it comes usually in one single flavor like vanilla or chocolate. It is cut, wrapped in a piece of paper and then good to be brought home. Yes, briket is not meant to be eaten while you’re out having a walk, but more of something you can have for dessert after lunch or dinner at home with friends or family. A very intimate type of ice cream.
5. Sakharniy Rojok
Loosely translated, sakharniy rojok (сахарниый рожок) means sugar horn in English. This horn explains the shape of the handle of this ice cream; a cone. Today, this kind of ice cream has become very common and popular. Almost any regular ice cream is sold with a cone handle. But, sakharniy rojok has actually one of the oldest types of Russian sweet delicacies. It was invented in the Soviet era but sadly slowly lost its popularity due to the invasion of more modern brands of coned ice cream.
6. Plombir
Last but definitely not least is this retro and most historical ice cream from Russia. It is even said to be one of the signature desserts of the country that you must try when you visit Moscow or Saint Petersburg. Plombir was the first kind of ice cream introduced to the Soviet in the 19th century by a confectioner from a town in France named Plombier-les-Bains. This was where the name of the ice cream originated from. The authentic recipe calls for cherry vodka, fruits, frozen eggs and cream. This recipe has changed and modified a lot since then.
What makes plombir different is the amount of fat in it that can reach 20% in a single serving. This makes plombir dense and soft even after coming right out of the freezer because it barely has ice in it. This ice cream can be merged with any other types above since it’s the basic filling. Plombir can be served in a cup, a cone, on a stick, rolled in crushed nuts as a shelkunchik or cut as a briket. In a more proper dessert, a dollop of plombir can come with hot snack like waffle or pancake.
Has your tongue started to pick up the sweetness of the 6 popular types of yummy Russian ice cream above? Are you curious about how they actually taste like? When you get the chance to visit Russia, you definitely have to look for and try them all. Some, though, can only be found in Moscow for the limited sales. Russian ice creams make it to the list of things to experience other than the ballet and circus because of the distinguished recipe that still follow the standards of GOST (Government Controlled National Standards) way back from the Soviet era. Every package should be a quality product and therefore makes Russian ice cream more than just sweet.