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Bublik (also ''booblik'' or ''bublyk''; rus, бублик, búblik, plural: ''bubliki''; uk, бублик, lit=, translit=búblyk) is a traditional
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...
an bread roll. It is a ring of yeast-leavened wheat dough, that has been boiled in water for a short time before
baking Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferred " ...
. Savella Stechishin (1989). ''Traditional Ukrainian Cookery''. Trident Press, Canada.


Common names and types

A class of such ring-shaped rolls is common for Eastern European cuisines.
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
bublik is similar to an
Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
bagel A bagel ( yi, בײגל, translit=beygl; pl, bajgiel; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into a roughly hand-sized ring from yeasted wheat dough that is fi ...
, but is somewhat bigger and has a larger hole. Bubliks usually have a drier, denser and "chewier" texture than bagels. Russian baranka (russian: баранка; pl. baranki) is a dough ring somewhat smaller than a bublik, but also thinner and drier. Sushka (russian: сушка; pl. sushki) is an even smaller and drier type, generally about 5 cm in size, and has the consistency of a hard
cracker Cracker, crackers or The Crackers may refer to: Animals * ''Hamadryas'' (butterfly), or crackers, a genus of brush-footed butterflies * '' Sparodon'', a monotypic genus whose species is sometimes known as "Cracker" Arts and entertainment Films ...
. In Russian and Ukrainian, ''bublik'' is often used as a generic designation for any ring-shaped product of this type. In Russian, ''baranka'' is also used as a similar generic term, whereas "" ( rus, бараночные изделия, baranochnye izdeliya) is a formal designation of the product class. A cognate term, ''obarinok'' (обарінок) or ''obvarinok'' (обварінок), is sometimes used as a synonym for bublik or baranka in Ukrainian. Bublik or baranka is known as ''abaranak'' () in Belarusian and or in Lithuanian. Polish ''obwarzanek'' is done with the same technology as bublik or baranka, but its most common form,
obwarzanek krakowski An ' (, plural: ' ; also spelled ') 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. Tra ...
, has a braided ring shape. File:Bublik in Kiev with Sesame.JPG, Ukrainian bublik topped with sesame File:Barankas.jpg, Russian baranki File:Сушки с маком.JPG, Sushki topped with poppy seeds


Etymology

''Bublik'' stems from
Old East Slavic Old East Slavic (traditionally also Old Russian; be, старажытнаруская мова; russian: древнерусский язык; uk, давньоруська мова) was a language used during the 9th–15th centuries by East ...
бубьлъ (''bubl''), ultimately from Proto-Slavic ''*bǫbьlь'', from which Polish ''bąbel'', Czech ''boubel'' and Slovak ''bublina'' also originated. All these words mean "bubble".
Max Vasmer Max Julius Friedrich Vasmer (; russian: Максимилиан Романович Фа́смер, translit=Maksimilian Romanovič Fásmer; 28 February 1886 – 30 November 1962) was a Russo-German linguist. He studied problems of etymology in I ...
. ''Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Winter''. Heidelberg, 1953–1958 (in German)
Бублик
(in Russian)
Russian ''baranka'' or ''baranok'' is a contraction of the word ''obvaranok'' (обваранок), "scalded" / "parboiled". Belarusian ''abaranak'', Ukrainian ''ob rinok'' and Polish ''obwarzanek'' share the same etymology.
Max Vasmer Max Julius Friedrich Vasmer (; russian: Максимилиан Романович Фа́смер, translit=Maksimilian Romanovič Fásmer; 28 February 1886 – 30 November 1962) was a Russo-German linguist. He studied problems of etymology in I ...
. ''Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Winter''. Heidelberg, 1953–1958 (in German)
Баранка
(in Russian)
The Russian spelling suggests that the word was adopted into Russian from Belarusian.


History

The first known written mention of the ''
bagel A bagel ( yi, בײגל, translit=beygl; pl, bajgiel; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into a roughly hand-sized ring from yeasted wheat dough that is fi ...
'' is found in the ''Community Regulations'' of the city of
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
in 1610. The bagel spread through Poland across all areas with significant Jewish population, reaching
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
, where it got its current form. The word ''bublik'' was adopted from Ukrainian to Russian in which it is first documented in the 18th century. It is mentioned as "wheat bublik" (бублик пшеничнои) in the ''Lexicon or Alphabetic Collection of Speeches from Russian to Dutch'' by Jacob Bruce published in 1717 in Saint Petersburg. The ''baranka'' is first mentioned in Russian sources in a 17th-century text. An entry for the year 1665 in the account ledger of
Valday Iversky Monastery Valday Iversky Monastery (russian: Валдайский Иверский монастырь) is a Russian Orthodox monastery founded by Patriarch Nikon in 1653. The monastery is located on an island in Lake Valdayskoye in Valdaysky District of No ...
reads: "Baranki and eggs purchased for the brothers in Bogoroditsino village for ten altyn." In the 19th century, the town of Valday was famous for its baranki.
Баранки
'. In: В. В. Похлёбкин, ''Кулинарный словарь от А до Я''. Москва, Центрполиграф, 2000, ( William Pokhlyobkin, ''Culinary Dictionary''. Moscow, Centrpoligraf publishing house, 2000; Russian)
Valday baranki were mentioned by
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
, Alexander Radishchev and others. William Pokhlyobkin traces the origin of Russian baranka to what is now
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
, in particular to the town of Smarhon’ (the former
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
). Until they were murdered in the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
, most of the population of Smarhon' was Jewish. Baranki were supposedly used to feed bears in the local school of bear training (the so-called "Bear Academy"). Written accounts of Smarhon' baranki appeared in the 19th century. Adam Kirkor wrote in the encyclopedia ''Picturesque Russia'': "In Smorgon', Oshmyany district, Vilna province, almost all the petty bourgeois population is busy baking small bubliki, or kringles, which are widely known as ''Smorgon' obvaranki''. Each traveller would definitely buy several bundles of these bubliki; besides, they are transported to
Vilna Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
and other cities."
Władysław Syrokomla Ludwik Władysław Franciszek Kondratowicz (29 September 1823 – 15 September 1862), better known as Władysław Syrokomla, was a Polish romantic poet, writer and translator working in Vilnius and Vilna Governorate, then Russian Empire. Bi ...
mentioned Smarhon' as "the capital of obwarzanki famous in all Lithuania". Smarhon' obwarzanki were a traditional treat at Saint Casimir's Fair in Vilnius.


Preparation

Bubliks are made from
yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...
-leavened
wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
dough that commonly contains
milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...
,
butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condim ...
, and
egg white Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms ar ...
s and is rather sweet. Poppy seeds are a popular addition to the dough, as well as several other fillings. For savory bubliks, sugar is omitted and instead grated cheese and a few drops of onion juice can be added. Bubliks are featured by professional bakers in their shops and at country fairs and regional markets. They are usually strung on a string by the dozen. In Belarus, Russia and Ukraine bubliks and barankas are usually treated not like
bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
, but like a type of pastry, eaten as a complement to tea or
coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...
. Therefore, bublik dough is generally sweeter and denser than that of bagel dough, and they are usually glazed with egg yolk. By far the most popular variety of bublik has a liberal amount of
poppy seed Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy ('' Papaver somniferum''). The tiny, kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years. It is still widely used in many countri ...
s added to it.


Consumption

Bubliks are usually eaten as is, but it is not uncommon to dip them into tea, a practice that came from eating sushki and baranki, which were very similar in taste, but rather dry and hard and not easily palatable unless moistened. Another common way of eating bubliks is to break them into several fragments and to eat them with jam (
varenye Varenye (russian: варенье, be, варэнне/варэньне, uk, варення) is a popular whole-fruit preserve, widespread in Eastern Europe ( Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), as well as the Baltic region ( lt, uogienė, lv, ievārīj ...
),
sour cream Sour cream (in North American English, Australian English and New Zealand English) or soured cream (British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial cultu ...
( smetana), or other similar dips. While they often accompany tea, bubliks, again unlike modern bagels, are rarely considered a
breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or " ...
food.


Cultural references

A short poem called ''Protoptala stezhku cherez yar'' ("I beat a path through the ravine") in '' Kobzar'' book by Ukrainian poet
Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukrainian poet, wr ...
refers to a young woman who sells bubliki at the market to the
Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
.
Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukrainian poet, wr ...
(1840). '' Kobzar''. Multiple editions.
'' Bublichki'', a
diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A ( abbreviated ) is a word-form ...
of bubliki, is a title of a famous Yiddish-Ukrainian-Russian song written in
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
in the 1920s.
Leonid Utyosov Leonid Osipovich Utyosov or Utiosov (russian: link=no, Леонид Осипович Утёсов, uk, link=no, Леонід Йосипович Утьосов); real name Lazar (Leyzer) Iosifovich Vaysbeyn or Weissbein ()) (, Odesa – 9 March ...
popularised the song in the USSR. The Barry Sisters together with the Ziggy Elman Orchestra made it popular in the US in 1939. Today it belongs to the repertoire of
klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...
,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and pop musicians. A common Russian and Ukrainian phrase is "a hole from a bublik" (russian: дырка от бу́блика, translit=dyrka ot búblika, uk, ді́рка з (від) бу́блика, lit=, translit=dírka z (vid) búblyka) - which means "absolutely nothing" or "worthless". Examples: * ''I worked so hard, and what did I get for it? A hole from a bublik'', * ''He is not worth a hole from a bublik''. This expression in literature is found in
Mystery-Bouffe ''Mystery-Bouffe'' (russian: Мистерия-Буфф; Misteriya-Buff) is a socialist dramatic play written by Vladimir Mayakovsky in 1918/1921. Mayakovsky stated in a preface to the 1921 edition that "in the future, all persons performing, pre ...
, a
socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
dramatic play written by Vladimir Mayakovsky in 1918–1921: : ''Someone got a bublik and another one got the hole of the bublik.'' : ''So that is to be a
democratic republic A democratic republic is a form of government operating on principles adopted from a republic and a democracy. As a cross between two exceedingly similar systems, democratic republics may function on principles shared by both republics and democr ...
.''


Ukrainian surname

The word ''Bublik'' is also a Ukrainian-language surname, found mostly in Ukraine and Southern Russia.


See also

* List of bread rolls


References


External links


Ukrainian Tea Cookies (Bublyky)

Bublik recipes
{{Street food Sweet breads Yeast breads Poppy seeds Snack foods Street food Belarusian cuisine Lithuanian cuisine Russian cuisine Ukrainian cuisine