Russian chocolate

When sweet hobbits* agreed to meet my mom in Moscow and bring a package from her to Finland, I asked her not to buy too many sweets**. “Just one chocolate block is enough.” But my mom's memory is very selective, it seems, because apparently she only remembered “buy chocolate”. :D Here is her idea of “one chocolate.”

“Although cocoa originated in the Americas, today Western Africa produces almost two-thirds of the world's cocoa, with Côte d'Ivoire growing almost half of it.” 

(Source)

Kozinaki (gozinaki გოზინაყი) on the left is a Georgian confection but it's very common in Russia too.

Famous “Alyonka.”

The hobbits participated in chocolating our kitchen as well. Here is what they called “a philological surprise” - chocolate-covered dates with almonds. Dates in Russians = finiki финики, which is also how we lovingly call Finns sometimes. :)

My Finn enjoyed eating “finiki” a lot. Suspicious.

And not a candy but smells like one! Vegan Christmas soap from Lush.

Why can't I eat it?!

*This is how they introduced themselves long ago, and I still call them hobbits. ^^ They named me Aragorn because I was their guide showing them Villa Elfvik (now Rivendell, obviously) and the nature around it. The hobbits met a grey cat on their way there and named it Gandalf. We also saw a dragon on a playground, but it didn't have any gold.

**She buys too many sweets all the time, see here. :)