 Anobwarzanek krakowski sprinkled with poppy seeds | |
| Type | Street food |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Kraków, Poland |
| Associatedcuisine | Polish |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Wheat flour,fat (usuallylard),yeast,sugar,salt |
| Ingredients generally used | Coarse salt,poppy seeds,sesame seeds (for sprinkling) |
| Variations | Depend on the sprinkling |
| Similar dishes | Bagel,bublik,pretzel |
Anobwarzanek krakowski (Polish pronunciation:[ɔbvaˈʐanɛkkraˈkɔfskʲi], plural:obwarzanki krakowskie[ɔbvaˈʐaŋkʲikraˈkɔfskʲɛ]; also spelledobarzanek[1]) is a braided ring-shapedbread that is boiled and sprinkled withsalt andsesame orpoppy seeds before being baked, similar to a bagel. 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 ofKraków, where it has the status of a regional food withprotected geographical indication. Similar to bagels and bubliks it is derived, but distinct, frompretzels.
The termobwarzanek krakowski isPolish. The Polish nounobwarzanek, orobarzanek, derives from the verbobwarzać, "to parboil",[2] which refers to the distinctive technique of boiling the dough before baking. The adjectivekrakowski denotes anything coming from or related to the city of Kraków.
Anobwarzanek 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 typicalobwarzanek is 12–17 centimetres (5–7 in) in diameter, 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) thick, and weighs 80–120 grams (3–4 oz).[3]
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.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), gratedcheese,onion flakes, etc.[3]
The obwarzanek, like the bagel, is derived from the pretzel. Pretzel's held religious significance due to both their ingredients and their shape. Pretzels were made using a simple recipe of flour and water, meaning they could be eaten during Lent when Christians were forbidden from eating eggs, lard or dairy products.[4] As pretzels spread across Europe they made their way to Poland, where the German "beugel" ("ring", or "bracelet" became "bagel"[5] Obwarzanek itself is derived from the Polish word for parboiling, a distinctive process to bagel making. It is believed that the bagel was further developed from this common root.[6]
The earliest known references toobwarzanki being baked in Kraków, Poland's former royal capital, appear in the accounts of the court of Queen Jadwiga and her consort KingWładysław II Jagiełło. An entry dated to 2 March 1394 mentions the product using both its Polish name and its equivalent in PolishMedieval Latin,circuli,[7] or "rings": "for the queen, for rings ofobwarzanki [pro circulis obarzankij], 1grosz".[3][8]
In modern times,obwarzanki have been sold not only in shops and bakeries, but also from street carts. There are between 170 and 180 such carts offeringobwarzanki in Kraków today. An average of almost 150,000 are sold on the Kraków market in a single day.[3]
Theobwarzanek krakowski often features in campaigns to promote Kraków. As a well-known symbol of Kraków andLesser Poland, it is often used in advertising aimed at locals and tourists alike. It has also won an award at theNasze Kulinarne Dziedzictwo (Our Culinary Heritage) competition, and received a prize at the 2003Polagra Farm international fair inPoznań. It always features at theŚwięto Chleba bread festival, an event that is held regularly in Kraków.[3]
Media related toObwarzanek at Wikimedia CommonsRing and knot-shaped breads | ||
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| Ring-shaped |  | |
| Knot-shaped | ||
