Çäkçäk frequently anglicized as chak-chak (tʃækˈtʃæk), is a Tatar sweet. It is particularly popular in Tatarstan

Tatarstan

The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...

 and Bashkortostan

Bashkortostan

The Republic of Bashkortostan , also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia . It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa...

, and is recognized as Tatarstan's national sweet in Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

.

Çäkçäk is made from unleavened dough cut and rolled into hazelnut-sized balls, which are then deep-fried

Deep frying

Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan; industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum fryer may be used....

 in oil. Optionally hazelnuts or dried fruits are added to the mixture. The fried balls are stacked in a mound in a special mold and drenched with hot honey

Honey

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...

. After cooling and hardening, çäkçäk may be optionally decorated with hazelnuts and dried fruits.

Traditional wedding çäkçäk is of bigger size and is often covered with candies and dragées. The biggest çäkçäk (1,000 kg) was prepared on 29 August 2005 during Kazan

Kazan

Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...

's millennium celebration.

Types

• If the dough is fried as noodles, çäkçäk is called Boxara käläwäse (Бохара кәләвәсе, bɔxɑˈrɑ kælæwæˈse, i.e. Bukhara
  Bukhara
  Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
  
  n käläwä ).
• Kazakh
  Kazakh cuisine
  Kazakh cuisine is the cuisine of Kazakhstan. Traditional Kazakh cuisine revolves around mutton and horse meat and as well as various milk products. For hundreds of years Kazakhs were herders who raised fat-tailed sheep, Bactrian camels, and horses, relying on these animals for transportation,...
  
   shek-shek is similar to Boxara käläwäse.
• Tajik chakchak comes in both types, as balls and as noodles. It is kazakh sweet.

See also

• Tatar culture
• Tatar cuisine
  Tatar cuisine
  The Tatar cuisine is primarily the cuisine of the Volga Tatars, who live in Tatarstan, Russia, and surrounding areas.- History :The cuisine of the Volga Tatars takes its origin from the cuisine of the Volga Bulgars, who once were nomads, but nearly 1500 years ego turned to agriculture and...
  
  
• Lokma
  Lokma
  *Tuzlu lokma Lángos, Boortsog - They may be thought of as cookies or biscuits, and since they are fried, they are sometimes compared to doughnuts.*Tatlı lokma Loukoumades - are a kind of fried-dough pastry made of deep fried dough soaked in sugar syrup or honey and cinnamon, and sometimes sprinkled...
  
   (a similar dish originating in Turkey)
• Struffoli
  Struffoli
  Struffoli is a Neapolitan dish made of deep fried balls of dough about the size of marbles. Struffoli are crunchy on the outside and light inside. They are mixed with honey and other sweet things...
  
  
• Sachima
  Sachima
  Sachima, also called Shaqima is a common Chinese pastry found in many Chinese-speaking regions. Each regional cuisine has its own slightly different variation of this food, though the appearance of all versions is essentially the same.-Manchu:...
  
  (a similar dish in Manchu cuisine)