Zefir (food)
Type of soft confectionery From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zefir (Russian: зефир [zʲɪˈfʲir], Ukrainian: зефір [zeˈfʲir], Lithuanian: zefyras, may also be spelled zephyr or zephir) is a type of soft confectionery made by whipping fruit and berry purée (mostly apple puree) with sugar and egg whites with subsequent addition of a gelling agent like pectin, carrageenan, agar, or gelatine.[1] It is produced in the countries of the former Soviet Union.[2] The name given after the Greek god of the light west wind Zephyr symbolizes its delicate airy consistency.[3]
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| Alternative names | Zephyr, zephir | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Meringue | ||||||
| Course | Confectionery | ||||||
| Serving temperature | Room temperature | ||||||
| Main ingredients | fruit purée, egg whites, sugar | ||||||
| Variations | Food coloring, filling | ||||||
| 329 kcal (1377 kJ) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Glycemic index | 65 (medium) | ||||||
| Similar dishes | Krembo | ||||||
History
Zefir is derived from the traditional Russian[4] pastila confectionery, but with added egg white foam and a gelling agent.[5] An addition of unwhipped egg whites to the recipe originated in the town of Kolomna sometime during the 15th century,[6] and in the 19th century the zefir dessert most likely emerged in its modern form with whipped egg whites due to a French adaptation on the recipe that was later brought back to Russia.[7]
Form and consistency
The form typically resembles traditional meringue.[8] However, in contrast to commercial-grade meringue, zefir is never crispy. In contrast to most chocolate-coated marshmallow-like confectioneries, zefirs normally come without layers of cookies/biscuits included.
Zefir is usually milky white, but also comes in rose-colored varieties for flavors containing berries and cherries, or may be colored green if it is flavored with apples. Zefir are also commonly sold with a thin, chocolate outer shell, and on occasion, contain berry-flavored jam on the inside.
Zefir is comparable in its consistency to marshmallows or krembo.[9]
Preparation
Zefir is traditionally made with a purée base, with sugar and egg whites being added before refrigeration. The mixture is subsequently combined with a heated thickening agent (such as agar or pectin), and then whisked (or in modern times, mixed with an electric mixture), until it is of a tacky consistency that can form peaks. It is then piped out of a starred tip and left to dry out. Although the outside will become more firm with a dry consistency, the inside will remain fluffy and sticky.[7]
Gallery
A chocolate-coated zefir
Clamshell design with mixture of pink and white zefir
Zefir (top shelf) on sale at store in Kharkiv
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See also
References
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