How Can a Gingerbread Weigh 50 Kilos?

The secrets of Russian Pryaniki

Gingerbread and samovar 1 by Medovye Traditsii FactoryFederal Agency for Tourism

Pryaniki

It is customary in Russia to gift pryaniki stamped with wooden imprints, serve them at tea or buy them as souvenirs in places that are famous for their gingerbreads.

Honey (21st Century) by tm agencyFederal Agency for Tourism

As the Russian name “pryanik” suggests, the dough has a lot of spice and is usually based on honey. Contemporary fillings include diverse jams and condensed milk.

Cooking pryaniki by RustourismFederal Agency for Tourism

The display features all the main pryanik varieties that have been made over the last 150 years, including those imprinted with the name of whoever was to receive the gift or those with birthday greetings. 

Tula Kremlin by RustourismFederal Agency for Tourism

The most famous pryaniki are from Tula, a city not far from Moscow, where they have been baked since the 17th century, a history tracked by the local Pryanik Museum.

Factory Honey traditions 3 by Medovye Traditsii FactoryFederal Agency for Tourism

Some of those gingerbreads were baked in various shapes to mark festivals, holidays and important dates.

The biggest item in the collection weighs 50 kilograms.

Credits: Story

Chief Сonsultant — Ekaterina Drozdova, restaurateur, gastronomic entrepreneur, food and social activist, Photo production — tm agency, Contributors — Proximity Russia, Denis Yershov, Alexandra Grigoryeva

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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