Grocery Ninja: Russian Blood Candy, Just in Time for Halloween
In my United Nations of a household, the Halloween tradition is for the housemates to contribute to a giant candy stash—so we have a pool of unusual, globetrotting candy to offer the neighbors’ kids. This year, I was ready to break out my childhood fave—chewy, milky, nougaty Chinese White Rabbit candy. But in September, four babies died and thousands of people got sick after drinking melamine-tainted milk from China. Tons of milk-containing products were recalled, and I had to feed my beloved White Rabbits to the trash.
My housemates joke that I should have kept the candy and put them in a bowl with a sign that reads: Beware, Poisoned Apples. But I haven’t quite the same sick sense of humor. Instead, I’m going to be offering a confection that’s way cooler than toxic White Rabbits—Russian caramels made from real cow’s blood.
Called Gematogenka, these sweet, chewy caramels are made from sugar, molasses, lecithin, salt, hemoglobin, and a bunch of vitamins. I was expecting an iron aftertaste (like drinking from a rusty cooler), but with the exception of some gritty-ness, there’s absolutely nothing bizarre-tasting about them. Not even an “off” smell. In fact, from its shiny, rainbow wrapper, to the happy, brawny, bird-man mascot emblazoned on it, everything about this chocolate colored candy reeks of innocence. Apparently, it is Russia’s equivalent to gummy bear vitamins —a treat to trick kids into taking supplements so that they grow tall and strong (like the bird-man mascot).
A “biologically active” food, these blood caramels are widely available in pharmacy candy aisles in Russia, and commonly used to treat anemia. In the States, you’ll find them in Russian groceries around Brooklyn, NY, or online. Each pack contains five individually-wrapped, completely unremarkable-looking tabs of candy—perfect for treating squeamish housemates to.
About the author: Wan Yan Ling can usually be found in the kitchen procrastinating on "real work" or online tracking down obscure recipes. Ling thinks eating alone is no fun, and she still believes in hand-mixing.
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6 Comments:
are the ingredients on those candy bars labeled in English? If not, you might want to give people a heads up about the ingredients. I'm a vegetarian, and I don't usually expect cow's blood in my caramel.
My favorite exotic candy bar is made by cadbury's but I have only been able to find it in Fiji and Austrailia- it's called Cherry Ripe and has whole cherries, coconut, and dark chocolate. Why oh why won't you distribute it in the states, Cadbury?
spartana07 at 9:10AM on 10/27/08
NOTE TO SELF: Do NOT trick-or-treat at Spartana's door!!!!
BLECH!
juliebugsmama at 12:31PM on 10/27/08
Pardon me, I meant to say : DO NOT trick-or-treat at Wan Yan Ling's door (the writer of the original post).
Sorry Spartana...didn't mean to diss you.
juliebugsmama at 12:32PM on 10/27/08
Disgusting. I feel bad for the kids that come to your door.
harstad at 1:23PM on 10/27/08
LOL... I remember those from my childhood in Russia. They work though, and when you have an anemic kid you do what you have to. The name translates loosely as 'hemoglobins'.
tatianak at 2:43PM on 10/27/08
spartana: cherry ripe bars are available on tons of australian product websites for less than $2 each. they are pretty yummy!
dmarina at 2:25AM on 10/28/08