Any of us, picking up caramel with the unusual name "Cancer necks", at least once asked the question, where did such an interesting name come from? After all, he, like the recipe, is more than 100 years old, and the confectioner A.I. Abrikosov, famous in tsarist Russia, invented these attractive sweets. So why are sweets called Cancer Necks? These sweets in shape were like separate pieces of the tail of a real cancer, in fact, this striking similarity was the reason for the appearance of the name. A.I. Abrikosov was not only a talented inventor of confectionery recipes , he delivered his unusual sweets to the table of His Imperial Majesty, which indicated unlimited trust and the highest quality of the product.
Candy from the pharmacy
Initially, sweets were sold in pharmacies. Yes, yes, there. Some of these included herbs, such as licorice, fennel, or mint. These sweets were not only tasty, but also healthy. They could be used as a remedy for cough or abdominal pain. Over time, the annual turnover of the factory reached 1.8 million rubles, and A.I. Abrikosov opened his first company store.
Behind him - the second, and after a fairly short time a whole network of his shops and wholesale points appeared. In addition to “Cancer necks” chocolates and other types of caramel, unusually beautiful and charmingly delicious sweets for balls and weddings were sold here, there was a large selection of gingerbread, biscuits, cakes and pastille.
Advertising - Sales Engine
A.I. Abrikosov strongly recommended all his products to his regular customers. He was very enterprising and invested a lot of money in advertising. I did not forget about the wrapper, because, in fact, this is the face of candy.
And as you know, they are met by clothes, and the growth of sales of this or that type of sweets could depend on how attractive the candy wrapper pattern is. But the recipe also meant a lot, special components were added to some types of sweets, which did not allow them to quickly deteriorate.
Unusual recipe for everyone's favorite caramel
So, candies "Cancer necks" had a very interesting recipe. To make caramel, sugar and vanilla were needed. It was glazed in a special way and potato molasses was added to the resulting mixture. It was prepared from raw potato starch and added so that the caramel retained its transparency.
And to prevent candies from being sugared, we used cremortartar. This is a tartaric salt of potassium acid, or, more simply, a precipitate in wine barrels that settles on the walls and crystallizes. The filling of this product consisted of almonds, sugar, vanilla and dry maraskin fruit liqueur. Because of this, the candies had a pleasant nut-cherry aroma and taste, softly and pleasantly crunched.
Series production of sweets
The sweets of A.I. Abrikosov were very in demand by the population of all ages. They were loved not only for taste, but also for appearance. Many sweets of that time had beautiful boxes of such sweets. They were so colorful that throwing away such packaging was considered sacrilege. Like it or not, but the fantasy of the candy cases of the master and his artists was truly limitless. Drawings on wrappers sometimes struck me with their beauty, caused a smile and made us proud of our victories.
The factory produced separate series of sweets dedicated to various topics. So, according to the wrapper of the historical series devoted to the war of 1812, one could learn about a particular battle. Or chocolate in honor of residents of different regions of Russia and the world with drawings of national clothes and everyday life. Candy master A.I. Abrikosov did not ignore the figures of science, culture, as well as famous artists of that time.
World recognition
Advertising cards or small posters were issued in a special print run. They often depicted children with angelic faces or young, beautiful young ladies offering sweets, including Cancer Neck sweets. Postcards with various puzzles, puzzles or riddles were put in tin boxes. With this approach to business, A. I. Abrikosov quickly outperformed his competitors, production expanded, and revenues increased. Following the delicious caramel and pastille, Alexei Ivanovich decided to produce fruits glazed with chocolate.
After moving to the Crimea, he left the production of sweets to his eldest sons. He himself engaged in the release of the French goodies, which subsequently won many awards. It was rumored that the chocolate-glazed fruits were better than the original French and began to bring a stable and considerable income. So, thanks to his hard work and business acumen, the inventor of the Cancer Neck candy became the main supplier of sweets to the table of His Imperial Majesty.
A.I. Abrikosov and the factory of Peter Bababev
In general, A.I. Abrikosov was devoted to his family and work. But in addition to his direct duties, he supported commercial schools. It was a great pleasure for him to find among the youth capable and purposeful, to help those who needed not experience pity, but experience and knowledge. In the Abrikosov family 17 children were born. But, unfortunately, only one went in the footsteps of his father. And in 1918, the Bolsheviks nationalized the factory, and it got a new name - Confectionery Factory named after Pyotr Babaev. But for a very long time on the wrappers next to this name there were brackets in which it was indicated - "ex. Abrikosov". This has always indicated the highest quality product. The sweets were so good that the assortment produced by the factory did not change for Soviet people for a long time. The recipes invented by the "chocolate and candy king" are so good that they have been used for the second century. A hundred-year-old Cancer Neck photo of candies is even now used in advertising.
Centenary of famous recipes
Sweets are so arranged that they are loved from small to large. Candy "Cancer neck" and the like were sold in all stores, were inexpensive, but tasty. Currently, caramel is no longer like a cancer tail, and the recipe is somewhat different from the original. Now Cancer Neck candies as a part have chocolate-nut filling, with a layer of caramel. And crunches in the same way as a hundred years ago. Yes, and do not forget, the calorie content of the Cancer Neck candy is 414 kcal (100 grams). This is for those on a diet.