Curd snack explained

Curd snack
Alternate Name:cottage cheese bar, curd cheese bar
Region:Baltic states and Eastern Europe
Type:Dairy product
Main Ingredient:curd cheese and sugar
Minor Ingredient:Various glazes and fillings
Variations:Túró Rudi
Calories:140 ~ 350

Curd snack, cottage cheese bar or curd cheese bar is a type of sweet dairy food made from glazed or unglazed curd cheese with or without filling.

They were created and became ubiquitous in the Soviet Union (Russian: глазированный сырок|glazirovannyi syrok). Curd snacks are popular in the former Soviet Union, such as the Baltic states, Russia and Ukraine, as well as in some former Soviet-aligned ones, such as Hungary (túró rudi), Poland, Romania and Mongolia.

Production

The main part of a curd snack is made from curd cheese, which is mixed with sugar, sweeteners or other ingredients and milled into a homogenous paste that is pressed into the desired shape and filled with jam or other fillings. The formed bars then pass through the so-called 'glaze waterfall' that coats them in chocolate or another type of glaze. Finally, the curd snacks are cooled in a cooling tunnel and packed.[1]

History

The mass production of curd snacks began in the 1950s in the Soviet Union and they quickly gained popularity. Initially, they were flavoured with simple ingredients, such as vanilla, cocoa and raisins, but since the 1990s the curd snacks have become more varied and also contain ingredients such as cookie bites, apricot, strawberry jam and boiled condensed milk.[2]

In 2012, the Kārums curd snack was voted the favorite product by Latvian consumers, receiving 20% of the votes.[3] Curd snacks have also remained highly popular in Estonia. According to a 2010 consumer survey, 74% of Estonians ate as much or even more curd snacks than before, with 57% preferring local curd snack brands over imported ones.[4] In 2013, Estonia set the world record for the biggest curd snack, which weighed 537 kilograms.[5] Curd snacks have also remained highly popular in Lithuania.

Some popular curd snack brands include Kārums, Nykštukas and Magija.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cornall . Jim . Glazed curd cheese bars – ripe for expansion? . October 19, 2018 . Dairy Reporter . January 24, 2022.
  2. Web site: Drey . Victoria . Glazed cottage cheese bars: The most popular Soviet dairy sweet made at home (RECIPE) . October 19, 2018 . . January 24, 2022.
  3. Web site: Latvian buyers' favourite product – curd snack Kārums . 13 May 2012 . . 14 June 2014.
  4. Web site: 61% of Estonians Still Love their Curd Snacks . 28 October 2010 . . 14 June 2014.
  5. Web site: Biggest Kohuke Sets World Record . 28 October 2013 . . 14 June 2014.