From time to time, I've seen this odd-looking desert in grocery stores during my stay in Moscow. It seemed to consist of short, puffy, tan-color noodles, stuck together in the form of a large block. Even more grabbing, however, happened to be it's name: chak-chak. Other than making me laugh in my head when I first read it, it also made me wonder. It didn't sound Russian by name and I'd never heard it mentioned before. Yet Russia was still the only place I'd ever seen it. After my initial notice, I began to see it around more and more. This finally accumulated one evening when I was splitting a bottle of cognac with a few friends when, unexpectedly, one friend took out a square box with the words чак-чак(chak-chak) written on it and recommended that we all have some. Curious, I broke a piece off and ate it...

DESCRIPTION AND INFO

It's hard to find an easy way to describe what it tastes like, but imagine something like puffed rice, only significantly more dense and glazed in honey, making it all stick together. It had an odd mix of being both crunchy and chewy at the same time, all the while being a bit sticky from the honey glaze. When eating it, you break or pull small pieces at a time since the blocks are usually the size of a brick. And, to make a long story short, did I like it? Yes. But it was very, very sweet, thus hindering me from eating a lot at a time.

Now, remember how I said I saw it from time to time in Moscow? Well, it turns out that it's the national Tatar desert, so now that I am in Kazan, I see it everywhere. And I literally mean everywhere. It's in every super market, every convenient store, every street stand, in the metros (seriously), and even within the Kazan Kremlin. Naturally, it was the first thing I bought upon arrival. And, currently I plan to stock up on it, so if you see me sometime this summer, you may get the chance to try for yourself.