THE HANÁ SWEET PASTRY WAS A MUST AT EVERY CELEBRATION

The ethnographic region of Haná has long been associated with vast plains and fertile fields. This abundance has shaped not only folk traditions and colourful costumes, but also culinary customs that Kroměříž proudly upholds. The Haná diet traditionally included porridges, soups, and especially rich sauces. As for sweet dishes, various types of buns and cakes have always stood out. Among them, the legendary Haná sweet pastry (hanácký vdolek) has become one of the region’s iconic symbols.

“A vdolek is a baked or fried pastry made from leavened dough in a round shape. Its size, quality, and preparation varied depending on region, social class, and time period. In Moravia, it was a finer kind of pastry known as báleše, béleše, bochánky, bochetke, or pagáče. The oldest form was a flatbread baked in ashes or on hot stoves. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to bake yeasted buns in the oven. In Haná, they were called bochetke – these leavened pastries were later also baked on one side in the oven or on both sides on a stove,” explains ethnographer Petr Hlavačka from the Kroměříž Regional Museum.

Haná was, and still is, a fertile land, and so our ancestors were generous when cooking and baking. However, Haná pastries were not an everyday food – they were reserved for special occasions, holidays, harvest festivals, or Sundays. The traditional version is made from leavened dough, filled with sweetened quark, topped with plum jam, and sprinkled with streusel.

Recipe for the Traditional Kroměříž Pastry

Dough:

500 g plain flour, 100 g sugar, 40 g fresh yeast, 3 egg yolks, 100 ml oil, 250 ml milk, lemon zest, a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp rum, plum jam

Filling (quark):

300 g quark (soft cheese), 80 g sugar, 3 egg yolks, raisins, lemon zest

Streusel topping:

100 g butter, 100 g sugar, vanilla sugar, 100 g semi-coarse flour

Instructions:

Prepare a semi-soft dough from flour, milk, yeast, sugar, egg yolks, oil, lemon zest, salt, and rum. Let the dough rise. Divide the risen dough into four parts and roll each into a smaller circle. Fill each with a quarter of the quark filling and shape into a round cake approximately 25 cm in diameter. Spread with plum jam and sprinkle with streusel.

Bake at a moderate temperature until golden and fully baked through. Brush the edges with beaten egg or melted butter. Once baked, cut into wedges like a cake.