Zefir

Zefir is the traditional Russian foamed confection, kin to meringue: fruit or berry puree whipped with sugar and egg white into a stable foam, piped, and dried. Apple puree is the classic base, its natural pectin helping hold the airy structure. The result is a light, melt-in-the-mouth sweet with delicate fruit flavour, often dusted or glazed. The physics is foam physics — egg-white proteins film the air bubbles, and drying sets the structure before it can collapse. Beloved across Russia and Eastern Europe, zefir shows how simple aeration turns fruit puree into an elegant confection that keeps well at ambient temperature.