obwarzanek krakowski

{{Short description|Early ring-shaped bread product}}

{{use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}

{{Infobox food

| image = Obwarzanek mak.jpg

| caption = An {{lang|pl|obwarzanek krakowski}} sprinkled with poppy seeds

| region = Kraków, Poland

| national_cuisine = Polish

| type = Street food

| course =

| served = Room temperature

| main_ingredient = Wheat flour, fat (usually lard), yeast, sugar, salt

| minor_ingredient = Coarse salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds (for sprinkling)

| variations = Depend on the sprinkling

| similar_dish = Bagel, bublik, pretzel

| no_recipes=true

| no_commons=true }}

An {{lang|pl|obwarzanek krakowski}} ({{IPA|pl|ɔbvaˈʐanɛk kraˈkɔfskʲi}}, plural: {{lang|pl|obwarzanki krakowskie}} {{IPA|pl|ɔbvaˈʐaŋkʲi kraˈkɔfskʲɛ|}}; also spelled {{lang|pl|obarzanek}}{{sfnp|Słownik języka polskiego PWN|}}) is a braided ring-shaped bread that is boiled and sprinkled with salt and sesame or poppy seeds before being baked. It has a white, sweetish, moist and chewy crumb underneath a crunchy golden-brown crust. Traditionally sold from street carts, it is a popular snack in the Polish city of Kraków, where it has the status of a regional food with protected geographical indication. It is closely related to, but distinct from, bagels, bubliks and pretzels.

Etymology

The term {{lang|pl|obwarzanek krakowski}} is Polish. The Polish noun {{lang|pl|obwarzanek}}, or {{lang|pl|obarzanek}}, derives from the verb {{lang|pl|obwarzać}}, "to parboil",{{sfnp|Balinska|2008|p=15}} which refers to the distinctive technique of boiling the dough before baking. The adjective {{lang|pl|krakowski}} denotes anything coming from or related to the city of Kraków.

Description

An {{lang|pl|obwarzanek krakowski}} is a ring-shaped baked product with a hole in the middle. It takes the form of an oval or, seldom, a circle. Its surface is formed by strands of dough, round or oval in cross-section, twisted into a spiral. The colour ranges from light golden to light brown, with a distinct sheen. A typical {{lang|pl|obwarzanek}} is {{convert|12|-|17|cm|0}} in diameter, {{convert|2|-|4|cm|abbr=on|1}} thick, and weighs {{convert|80|-|120|g|0}}.{{sfn|PL-PGI-005-0674}}

The visible strands of the spiral on the crust are firmish to the touch and the surface varies from smooth to slightly rough. The crumb inside is pale, soft and slightly moist. The taste is sweetish, which is typical of bakery products that are first parboiled and then baked. {{lang|pl|Obwarzanki}} are traditionally decorated by sprinkling them with various ingredients, including coarse salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, nigella seeds, mixed herbs or mixed spices (paprika, caraway, pepper), grated cheese, onion flakes, etc.{{sfn|PL-PGI-005-0674}}

History

File:Obwarzanki salesman in Krakow.jpgs from a typical cart]]

The earliest known references to {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} being baked in Kraków, Poland's former royal capital, appear in the accounts of the court of Queen Jadwiga and her consort King Vladislaus II Jagiełło. An entry dated to 2 March 1394 mentions the product using both its Polish name and its equivalent in Polish Medieval Latin, {{lang|la|circuli}},{{sfnp|Dembińska|1999|p=115}} or "rings": "for the queen, for rings of {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} [{{lang|la|pro circulis obarzankij}}], 1 {{lang|pl|grosz}}".{{sfn|PL-PGI-005-0674}}{{sfnp|Przezdziecki|1854|p=304}}

In 1496, King John Albert granted the bakers' guild of the city of Kraków a monopoly on baking white bread, including {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}}. This privilege was subsequently confirmed by all Polish kings up to John III Sobieski. Initially, {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} could be made only during Lent by bakers specially designated for that purpose by the guild. The guild issued a decree in 1611 regulating the sale of {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} inside the city walls and the choice of bakers who were allowed to sell them.{{sfn|PL-PGI-005-0674}}

A radical change took place in the 19th century. On 22 January 1802, a decree was signed which stipulated that any baker had the right to bake {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} when it was his turn to do so. The bakers authorised to bake {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} were selected by the drawing of lots. The custom of drawing lots probably ended in 1849, there being no evidence that it continued after that date. This could mean that, over time, the rules were relaxed and any baker could make {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} on any day of the year, as is still the case today.{{sfn|PL-PGI-005-0674}}

[

{"type": "ExternalData", "service": "geoshape", "ids": "Q31487", "properties": { "fill": "#DAA520" } }, //Kraków city

{"type": "ExternalData", "service": "geoshape", "ids": "Q1164890", "properties": { "fill": "#DAA520" } }, //Kraków county

{"type": "ExternalData", "service": "geoshape", "ids": "Q609424" , "properties": { "fill": "#DAA520" } } //Wieliczka county

]

{{lang|pl|Obwarzanki}} were sold from stalls which opened before 6 a.m. so that the inhabitants of Kraków could buy them freshly baked early in the morning. The guild monitored the quality and freshness of the products, eight of its members being responsible for carrying out checks on stalls. Any transgressions were severely punished. Eventually, people started selling {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} in other ways. As late as the 1950s, they were sold straight from wicker baskets.{{sfn|PL-PGI-005-0674}}

In modern times, {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} have been sold not only in shops and bakeries, but also from street carts. There are between 170 and 180 such carts offering {{lang|pl|obwarzanki}} in Kraków today. An average of almost 150,000 are sold on the Kraków market in a single day.{{sfn|PL-PGI-005-0674}}

The {{lang|pl|obwarzanek krakowski}} often features in campaigns to promote Kraków. As a well-known symbol of Kraków and Lesser Poland, it is often used in advertising aimed at locals and tourists alike. It has also won an award at the {{lang|pl|Nasze Kulinarne Dziedzictwo}} (Our Culinary Heritage) competition, and received a prize at the 2003 Polagra Farm international fair in Poznań. It always features at the {{lang|pl|Święto Chleba}} bread festival, an event that is held regularly in Kraków.{{sfn|PL-PGI-005-0674}}

{{clear}}

See also

{{portal|Food}}

References

{{reflist}}

Sources

  • {{cite encyclopedia

| title = Słownik języka polskiego PWN

| chapter = obwarzanek

| publisher = Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN

| chapter-url = https://sjp.pwn.pl/sjp/obwarzanek;2492301.html

| access-date = 2019-11-29

| ref = {{harvid|Słownik języka polskiego PWN}} }}

  • {{cite book

| last1 = Balinska

| first1 = Maria

| year = 2008

| title = The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread

| location = New Haven and London

| publisher = Yale University Press

| isbn = 978-0-300-11229-0

}}

  • {{cite act

| type = Council Regulation (EC)

| number = 510/2006, "Obwarzanek krakowski" EC No. PL-PGI-005-0674

| date = 2010-02-16

| access-date = 2016-04-16

| url = http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52010XC0216(01)

| ref = {{harvid|PL-PGI-005-0674}} }}

  • {{cite book

| last = Dembińska

| first = Maria

| editor1-last = Weaver

| editor1-first = William Woys

| year = 1999

| title = Food and Drink in Medieval Poland: Rediscovering a Cuisine of the Past

| location = Philadelphia

| publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press

| isbn = 0-8122-3224-0

}}

  • {{cite journal

| last1 = Przezdziecki

| first1 = Alexander

| year = 1854

| title = Życie domowe Jadwigi i Jagiełły: z regestrów skarbowych z lat 1388–1417

|trans-title=Private Life of Hedwig and Jagiełło: From Treasury Registers of 1388–1417

| journal = Biblioteka Warszawska

| volume = 2

| pages = 299–320

| language = pl

| location = Warszawa

| publisher = Drukarnia Stanisława Strąbskiego

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RrgDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA304

}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book

| last1 = Czaja

| first1 = Izabela

| last2 = Gadocha

| first2 = Marcin

| year = 2008

| title = Obwarzanek krakowski: historia, tradycja, symbolika

|trans-title=Obwarzanek Krakowski: History, Tradition, Symbolism

| language = pl

| location = Kraków

| publisher = Bartosz Głowacki

| isbn = 9788392686705 }}