We associate the name of these sweets with childhood. And also with the famous children's camp. Both of these, of course, evoke pleasant memories when it comes to Artek wafers.
How Artek Wafers Appeared
Wafers are called confectionery products, which consist of three or more wafer sheets with a filling between them. The history of their origin is still a mystery. Some people believe that this delicacy was invented in ancient Greece. Then they were made from cheese and grass and baked on a heated stone. According to another version, waffles appeared in Germany in the 13th century on the banks of the Rhine.
Who invented the Artek treat? Wafers with this name first appeared in the USSR in 1958. This happened thanks to the technologists of the Moscow Confectionery Factory, who developed several new recipes for everyone’s crunchy goodies. Among them were Artek waffles, which got their name from the name of the world famous pioneer camp located in the Republic of Crimea. In the 60s of the last century, up to 25 different types of this product were produced at the Moscow Confectionery Factory. But the most popular (both then and now) are Artek wafers.
Wafers Artek: composition of the product
The formulation of production at different enterprises manufacturing delicacies is not the same. This means that confectionery products with the same name, but with different brands will differ in taste.
The most popular Artek in Russia is waffles, which are produced by the Rot Front confectionery factory. Their composition includes sugar, wheat flour, special-purpose vegetable fat, cocoa powder and milk powder, sunflower oil,
egg powder, baking soda and salt, Vanillin flavor identical to natural, citric acid E330 and emulsifier lecithin E322.
Wafers "Artek": calorie content and nutritional value
Waffles are a very high-calorie product. 100 grams of this treat contains 30 g of fat, 60 g of carbohydrates and only 4 g of protein.
For those who care about their figure, it is important to know how many calories in Artek wafers. Nutritionists calculated that the calorie content of this product is 530 kcal per 100 grams.
But in fact, Artek - waffles are not so harmful. Subject to the formulation, vitamins are even stored in a small amount in them (mainly due to the cocoa powder contained in the filling). The chemical composition of such wafers includes vitamins (PP, E, B1, B2, A), macrocells (phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium) and trace elements (iron).
Some unscrupulous manufacturers use trans fats in the manufacture of confectionery products, which cause irreparable harm to the body. They affect the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and their uncontrolled consumption in food leads to obesity, including in children. Therefore, you should always remember that high-quality Artek wafers cannot be too cheap, although this is not a very expensive product.
How to make wafers "Artek" according to GOST
In a confectionery factory, the preparation of waffles begins with kneading dough. To do this, first sift the flour into a special container, then add water and a dry mixture of baking powder with soda to it. All mix thoroughly. The dough should be no thicker than ordinary sour cream.
After that, white powder - lecithin is poured into the mixed mass, and vegetable oil is then poured. They will make the dough uniform in composition. No further ingredients are added. Contrary to popular belief, there is no sugar in wafer cakes , and the filling makes them sweet.
After kneading, the dough is piped into the next workshop, where cakes are baked. The equipment necessary for this, according to the principle of action, resembles an ordinary waffle iron. Through special nozzles, the dough is poured onto hot plates, covered with the second half of the waffle iron on top and baked for 2 minutes at a temperature of 170 degrees.
Now the finished cake layers are cooled and
conveyed to the workshop via a
conveyor belt , where liquid filling is applied to them through special nozzles. After that, the wafer sheets are connected to each other. Then they are cooled in a special refrigerator so that the filling freezes. And only after that large sheets are cut with special strings into small wafers. Then they are packed and sent to a warehouse, and then to the store.
This is how traditional Artek wafers are made, the photos of which are presented above. Each confectionery consists of 5 crispy cakes and 4 layers of filling between them.
How to choose real Artek waffles
Several types of Artek wafers, of various brands, with chocolate, milk or vanilla filling, are presented on store shelves at once. But which of them really comes from childhood, it’s quite difficult to figure out.
When choosing Artek wafers, you need to pay attention to the following points.
- A clear pattern on the cakes. The thickness of each wafer layer should be no more than 2 mm. All layers are tightly connected, literally glued together by filling. If one of them moves away from the other, it means that the wafer is damp and there will be no crackling on the teeth.
- The shade of high-quality wafers should be golden.
- Confectionery products, the expiration date of which is coming to an end, have a characteristic bitter smell of vegetable oil. Fresh product smells nice.
The real "Artek" - waffles that are sure to crunch. They should break easily, but not crumble. This symptom may indicate a dry filling.
Customer reviews
It’s hard to find someone who would never try Artek waffles. Buyers unanimously say about their incredible taste and pleasant crunch. Their reviews confirm that the waffles are fragrant, delicate, moderately sweet and perfectly satisfy hunger. Artek products are not sugary, equally tasty with both tea and milk. Often sold in small packages of several pieces each, so they can be used as a snack.
But those who follow a diet or simply adhere to proper nutrition, it is better to refuse such confectionery products because of their too high calorie content. In general, buyers consider the composition of wafers to be completely harmless to this type of product.