Ptasie mleczko () or Bird's milk is a
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
an
confectionery
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...
originating in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. It is a small,
chocolate
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
-covered
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
with a soft marshmallow-like interior.
Bird's milk is one of the most recognized chocolate confectioneries in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, having exclusive rights for the name ''Ptasie mleczko''. Other confectionery producers also make similar candies named differently (e.g., ''Alpejskie mleczko'', "Alpine milk"). Nonetheless, ''Ptasie mleczko'' is often used to refer to similar candies with vanilla, cream, lemon or chocolate flavour.
In
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
'', ptichye moloko'' (птичье молоко) is both a popular candy and a famous soufflé cake. The brand was introduced in the 1960s during the Soviet era, and continues to be used by companies operating the factories which produced these candies and cakes since that time. The confectionery is also produced in other
post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
.
Origin of the name
The concept of avian milk ( grc,
ὀρνίθων γάλα, ''ornithon gala'') stretches back to ancient Greece.
Aristophanes
Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme
In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states ...
uses "the milk of the birds" in the plays ''
The Birds'' and ''
The Wasps
''The Wasps'' ( grc-x-classical, Σφῆκες, translit=Sphēkes) is the fourth in chronological order of the eleven surviving plays by Aristophanes. It was produced at the Lenaia festival in 422 BC, during Athens' short-lived respite from the ...
'' as a proverbial rarity. The expression is also found in
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
's ''
Geographica
The ''Geographica'' (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά ''Geōgraphiká''), or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Ancient Greek, Greek and attributed to Strabo, an educated citizen ...
'' where the island of
Samos
Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate ...
is described as a ''blest country,'' to which ''those who praise it do not hesitate to apply the proverb that "it produces even bird's milk" (φέρει καί ὀρνίθων γάλα)''.
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
. ''Geographica
The ''Geographica'' (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά ''Geōgraphiká''), or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Ancient Greek, Greek and attributed to Strabo, an educated citizen ...
''
14 - 1 - 15
Original text: Γεωγραφικά, ΙΔ. A similar expression ''lac gallinaceum'' (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for "chicken's milk") was also later used by
Petronius
Gaius Petronius Arbiter["Gaius Petronius Arbiter"]
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
(Plin. ''Nat.'' pr. 24) as a term for something of great rarity. The idiom later became common in many languages and appeared in
Slavic folk tales.
[Птичье молоко. Фразеологизмы.](_blank)
Справочная служба русского языка Белгородской государственной универсальной научной библиотеки (in Russian). In one such tale, the beautiful princess tests the ardor and resourcefulness of her suitor by sending him out into the wilderness to find and bring back the one fantastical luxury she does not have: bird's milk.
In the fairy tale ''Little Hare'' by
Aleksey Remizov
Aleksey Mikhailovich Remizov (russian: Алексе́й Миха́йлович Ре́мизов; in Moscow – 26 November 1957 in Paris) was a Russian modernist writer whose creative imagination veered to the fantastic and bizarre. Apart from ...
(who wrote many imitations of traditional Slavic folk tales), the magic bird
Gagana
Gagana is a miraculous bird with an iron beak and copper claws featured in Russian folklore. She is said to live on the Buyan Island. The bird is often mentioned in incantations. It is also said this bird guards the Alatyr, alongside Garafena the ...
produces milk.
Whether any of these authors were aware of
crop milk
Crop milk is a secretion from the lining of the crop of parent birds that is regurgitated to young birds. It is found among all pigeons and doves where it is referred to as pigeon milk. An analog to crop milk is also secreted from the esopha ...
from some species of birds is unknown.
History and variations
Bird's milk was first created in 1936 in Poland by , owner of the
E. Wedel Company. According to the company's official history, Wedel's inspiration for the name of the confectionery came from his voyages to France, when he asked himself: "What could bring greater happiness to a man who already has everything?" Then he thought: "Maybe only bird milk."
In Russia, ''ptichye moloko'' was originally a type of confectionery introduced in 1967 in
Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
and in 1968 by the
Rot Front
Rot(s) or rotting may refer to:
Decay Organic matter
* Rot, decomposition of organic matter
** Dry rot, of wood
** Root rot
** Wet rot, of wood
* Necrosis, of tissue
Technology
* Bit rot, data degradation
** Software rot, a form of bit rot
* Di ...
factory in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. It became a hit, and mass production was started in 1975 by the ''
Krasny Oktyabr'' confectionery factory in Moscow.
[
]
In Estonia, ''linnupiim'' (also "bird's milk" in
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
) is the brand name of a similar candy made by the
Kalev candy factory. This candy also uses agar-agar instead of gelatin as a thickening agent and comes in three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and lemon. In 2021, a special edition with grapefruit flavor was produced.
In Moldova, ''lapte de pasăre'' (also "bird's milk" in
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
) is the brand name of a similar candy made by the Bucuria candy factory. Despite the name, the candy is not to be confused with the
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
traditional dessert ''
lapte de pasăre''.
Bird's milk cake
In 1978, the popular candy was transformed into a cake by Vladimir Guralnik in Moscow's Praga Restaurant.
This was a light sponge cake filled with an airy soufflé and topped with chocolate glaze. A distinct feature of the Russian recipe is the usage of
agar-agar
Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar is ...
instead of
gelatin
Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...
as a
thickening agent
A thickening agent or thickener is a substance which can increase the viscosity of a liquid without substantially changing its other properties. Edible thickeners are commonly used to thicken sauces, soups, and puddings without altering their t ...
which withstands the high temperature needed to melt down sugar into a syrup. Initially, the restaurant produced trial batches of 20-30 cakes, but after six months the daily output was increased to 500 cakes.
The recipe was quickly copied by other restaurants in Moscow, such as Moskva, Budapesht, and Ukraina.
In the 1980s, a special factory for Bird's milk cakes was built in the
Novye Cheryomushky district in the south of Moscow.
Both the cake and the candy versions of the bird's milk are widely available to this date in supermarkets and specialty stores all over Russia.
Trade marks
''Lapte de pasăre'', ''Ptasie Mleczko'', ''Ptiche moloko'', and ''Vogelmilch'' are registered
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
s in the EU.
In Russia, ''Птичье молоко'' is a registered trademark of
Rot Front
Rot(s) or rotting may refer to:
Decay Organic matter
* Rot, decomposition of organic matter
** Dry rot, of wood
** Root rot
** Wet rot, of wood
* Necrosis, of tissue
Technology
* Bit rot, data degradation
** Software rot, a form of bit rot
* Di ...
, a member of
United Confectioners
United Confectioners (russian: Объединённые кондитеры, Obedinyonnye konditery) is a Russian confectionery holding.
Through its subsidiaries it produces chocolate bars, cakes, cookies and candies. The holding owns brands such as ...
. Other companies have been sued for using the name, even if they had used it in the Soviet Union.
See also
*
List of chocolate-covered foods
This is a list of chocolate-covered foods. Chocolate is a typically sweet, usually brown, food preparation of ''Theobroma cacao'' seeds, roasted and ground, often flavored, as with vanilla. It is made in the form of a liquid, paste or in a block ...
*
List of Polish desserts
This is a list of Polish desserts. Polish cuisine has evolved over the centuries to become very eclectic due to Poland's history. Polish cuisine shares many similarities with other Central European cuisines, especially German, Austrian and Hungar ...
*
List of Russian desserts
This is a list of Russian desserts. Russian cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Russian people. The cuisine is diverse, as Russia is by area the largest country in the world. Russian cuisine derives its varied chara ...
References
External links
E. Wedel chocolatesООО «Птичье молоко» Moscow "Ptichye moloko" cake factory (in Russian)
{{portalbar, Food, Poland, Russia
Chocolate-covered foods
Marshmallows
Brand name chocolate
Polish desserts
Belarusian desserts
Latvian desserts
Russian desserts
Ukrainian desserts
Soviet cuisine
Polish brands
Polish confectionery
Soviet brands
Russian brands
Ukrainian brands