Belarusian Candy

I work with a variety of people with different ethnic backgrounds and they often have food that is different or peculiar in comparison to standard American fare. I never shy away from trying something new and when ever given the opportunity I’ll pretty much try anything once.
One of my coworkers is Russian and recently she offered me a few different candies and told me to give them a try. She wasn’t exactly sure which flavor’s they were but thought they were Russian. With a little research online I figured it out before trying them and discovered that they were in fact from Belarus and not Russia.

The two candy bars I tried were made by Kommunarka Confectionary Factory which was started in 1905 in the city of Minsk. From 1957 through 1967 they worked on new recipes for their confections. The particular type I tried was called Gril'yazh na arahise which was developed in 1959. Today the company’s focus is to maintain the traditions of their confectionary art while bringing joy and pleasure to the people.

I tried to different types of Gril'yazh na arahise. The first type was Minsk Candied Roasted Nuts Gril'yazh. This candy bar I can only describe as a mix between a kit kat and a fig newton. The texture of the chocolate was milky and the filling sandwiched between two wafers was like a compacted fig newton cookie with subtle flavoring. This particular flavor was primarily a nutty mixture with almonds and apple being the dominant taste.

The second one I tried was also a Gril'yazh na arahise. It was a Cranberry Candied Roasted Nut Gril'yazh . It had a similar structure but the flavors were mainly cranberry with only a few peanuts to accent the fruit flavor. It too was sandwiched between two wafers and then coated in chocolate.

I would describe both candy bars as heavy and bland in flavor. While each had a unique and definite flavor they were not pronounced enough to really be enjoyed and were muted by the heaviness of the filling. They lacked the light and silky texture I am accustomed to with American candy bars.

The wrappers were bright and playful in nature, clearly aimed at attracting a younger audience, as shown in the pictures below. They feature a dog holding cranberries and a hedgehog holding an apple.