1. Kolomna pastila The town of Kolomna 90 km south-east of Moscow has always had many sour apples of the ‘Antonovka’ variety. And the locals invented pastila, a kind of jelly fruit confectionery, made from apples with honey or sugar.
After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, this traditional candy was almost forgotten. In Soviet times, they called a kind of marshmallow from egg whites and sugar a 'pastila'. But, in the early 21st century, enthusiasts from Kolomna revived production of pastila according to traditional recipes.
Now, everyone buys some as a souvenir to take home. 2. Kolomna ‘ kalach ’ ‘Kalach’ is a very ancient Russian street food.
One should never eat the ‘handle’ (because, in the past, most people held it with dirty hands). So, thanks to this tradition, a proverb appeared in the Russian language: “Reach the handle” , meaning to get into an extremely difficult, almost hopeless situation. When you are even willing to eat the kalach's handle, metaphorically speaking.
And Kolomna is famous not only for its pastila, but also its ‘kalach’. In the 18th century, people began to add stuffing into it, thus turning it into a sandwich of sorts. And now, in Kolomna, you can try a ‘kalach’ with stewed goose, for example! 3.
Zaraisk ‘ kovrizhka ’ ‘Kovrizhka’ is a kind of honey pastry, a flat bread with spices and it has been made in Russia since the ancient times. The delicacy was especially popular in Zaraisk, a town 180 km south-east of Mosco.
