![Kolach](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Kolach.jpg)
A kolach (also spelled kolache, kolace or kolacky , from the
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
and
Slovak plural koláče, sg. koláč, diminutive koláčky, meaning "cake/pie") is a type of sweet pastry that holds a portion of fruit surrounded by puffy dough. It is made from yeast dough and common flavors include Quark, a dairy product, ''tvaroh'' spread, fruit jam and poppy seeds mixed with
powidl (''povidla'').
Originating as a semisweet pastry from
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
, they have also become popular in parts of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, particularly in the state of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
.
The name originates from the Czech (
Bohemian), and originally
Old Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic () was the first Slavic literary language.
Historians credit the 9th-century Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius with standardizing the language and using it in translating the Bible and other ...
word meaning "circle", "wheel".
In some parts of the US,
klobásník
A klobasnek (Czech ''klobásník'' , plural ''klobásníky'', meaning "a roll made of sweet, spun dough known as koláč made and often filled with klobása or other fillings") is a chiefly American Czech savory finger food.Koenig, Josie, and Joh ...
, which contains sausage or other meat, is also called kolach because the same dough is used. Unlike kolache, which came to the United States with Czech immigrants, ''klobásníky'' were first made by Czechs who settled in Texas. In contrast, Czech ''koláč'' is always sweet.
Kolaches are often associated with
Cedar Rapids and
Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
in
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
, where they were introduced by Czech immigrants in the 1870s. They are served at church suppers and on holidays but also as an everyday
comfort food
Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, or simple preparation. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, or it may app ...
. Recipes are usually passed down with some including spices like mace or nutmeg. They can be filled with a combination of prune, apricot, cream cheese, poppy seed or assorted other fillings.
Holidays and festivals
Bujanov
Bujanov (german: Angern) is a municipality and village in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants.
Bujanov lies approximately south-east of Český Krumlov, south of České Budě ...
(a municipality in the
South Bohemian Region
The South Bohemian Region ( cs, Jihočeský kraj; , ) is an administrative unit (''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western part ...
of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
) holds annual kolache celebrations () and kolache marathon ().
Several US cities hold annual Kolache Festival celebrations:
*
Tabor, South Dakota
Tabor (pronounced "TAY'-bur") is a town in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 407 at the 2020 census.
History
The town is named after the town of Tábor in the Czech Republic, the native land of a large share of t ...
*
Verdigre, Nebraska
Verdigre is a village in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 575 at the 2010 census.
History
Verdigre was platted in 1887 shortly before the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. It took i ...
*
Wilber, Nebraska
Wilber is a city in Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,855 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Saline County. Wilber is the official " Czech Capital of the USA" and hosts an annual Czech festival in August. Wil ...
*
Prague, Nebraska
Prague is a village in Saunders County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 303 at the 2010 census. It was named after Prague, capital of Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic).
History
Prague was platted in 1887 when the railroad was exten ...
*
Caldwell, Texas
Caldwell is a city in and the county seat of Burleson County, Texas, Burleson County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,993 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area.
Caldwell is the home of the Czech ...
*
New Prague, Minnesota
New Prague ( ) is a city in Scott and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 7,321 at the 2010 census.
History
Origin
New Prague was laid out in 1856, and named after Prague, the capital of Bohemia (now the Czech Re ...
;
*
East Bernard, Texas
East Bernard is a city in Wharton County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,218 at the 2020 census. U.S. Highway 90 Alternate (US 90A) and Texas State Highway 60 (SH 60) intersect within the city limits. East Bernard has its ow ...
;
Crosby, Texas
Crosby is a census-designated place in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,417 at the 2020 census.
History
The site north of U.S. Route 90 (according to some) was an encampment nicknamed Lick Skillet in 1823 by Humphrey ...
*
Hallettsville, Texas
Hallettsville is a city in Lavaca County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,731 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lavaca County. Hallettsville also has a sizable German-Texan population as the towns founders were mainly German ...
*
Prague, Oklahoma
Prague () is a city in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,346 at the 2020 census, an 1.76 percent decrease from the figure of 2,388 in 2010. Czech immigrants founded the city, and named it after the capital of the pres ...
*
St. Ludmila's Catholic Church in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
*
Kewaunee, Wisconsin
Kewaunee is a city in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2020 census. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the city is the county seat of Kewaunee County. Its Menominee name is ''Kewāneh' ...
Both
Verdigre, Nebraska
Verdigre is a village in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 575 at the 2010 census.
History
Verdigre was platted in 1887 shortly before the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. It took i ...
, and
Montgomery, Minnesota
Montgomery is a city in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States, 45 miles south of Minneapolis. It was named after Richard Montgomery, an Irish-American soldier who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary ...
, claim to be the "Kolacky capital of the world".
Prague, Nebraska
Prague is a village in Saunders County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 303 at the 2010 census. It was named after Prague, capital of Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic).
History
Prague was platted in 1887 when the railroad was exten ...
, claims to be known as the home of the world's largest kolache. Both Caldwell, Texas, and
West, Texas
West is a city in McLennan County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 2,531. It is named after Thomas West, the first postmaster of the city. The city is located in the north-central part of Texas, approximate ...
, claim the title of "Kolache Capital" of the state and kolaches are extremely popular in Central and Eastern Texas. There is even a Texas Czech Belt
which grew in the 1880s and is full of kolache bakeries.
Haugen, Wisconsin
Haugen ( ) is a village in Barron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 287 at the 2010 census.
History
Haugen was named in 1886 after the Norwegian settler Nils P. Haugen who emigrated from Buskerud, Norway in 1854, a loc ...
, is the Kolache Capital of Wisconsin. The village is a Bohemian settlement that celebrates its Czech Heritage during an annual festival (Haugen Fun Days). Kolaches are a staple of the village's festival with Kolache sales, bake-offs, and tastings. Kolache may be found at
Czech-American festivals in other communities in the United States.
It was the sweet chosen to represent the Czech Republic in the
Café Europe
Café Europe, Café d'Europe or also Café Europa was a cultural initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, held on Europe Day (9 May 2006) in 27 cafés of the capitals of the then 25 EU member states and the two countries whi ...
initiative of the
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n presidency of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
, on
Europe Day 2007.
Many people in the United States refer to the sausage-filled Czech pastries as kolaches, but these are
klobasniky which were invented by
Czech immigrants in Texas.
Related dishes
![6KolaceCookies](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/6KolaceCookies.jpg)
A related dish is a
klobasnek, which is popular in central and southeast
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, specifically
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
. It often uses similar bread but is filled with a link of sausage or ground sausage. Some people also refer to these as kolache, but they are more closely related to a "
pig in a blanket".
They may also contain ham, cheese,
jalapeño
The jalapeño ( , , ) is a medium-sized chili pepper pod type cultivar of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. A mature jalapeño chili is long and hangs down with a round, firm, smooth flesh of wide. It can have a range of pungency, with Scovi ...
, eggs and bacon/sausage, potato, etc., and resemble a "pig in a blanket". Czech settlers created klobasniky after they immigrated to Texas.
See also
*
Danish pastry: a laminated sweet pastry
*
Kolach: Slavic, Hungarian, and Romanian bread of the same name
*
Rugelach
Rugelach ( ; , or yi, רוגעלעך, translit=rugelekh and he, רוגלך ''rōgalaḵ'') is a filled baked confection originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is popular in Israel, commonly found in most cafes and bakeries. It is ...
: Jewish pastry originating in Poland
*
Koloocheh
Koloocheh or Kleicha ( Persian: کلوچه), also known as Persian New Year Bread, is a Persian stamped cookie or bread, originating in various parts of Iran. There are many variations on the recipe (bready-texture vs. crispy; and stuffed vs. unst ...
: Iranian pastry
*
Vatrushka
Vatrushka () is an Eastern European pastry (pirog) formed as a ring of dough with Tvorog in the middle, sometimes with the addition of raisins or bits of fruit. The most common size is about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) in diameter, but larger ...
: East Slavic pastry
*
Murabbalı mecidiye: Turkish pastry
References
External links
*
*
*
Kolach Video produced by
Wisconsin Public Television
PBS Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Public Television or WPT) is a state network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It c ...
{{Pastries
Pastries with poppy seeds
Czech-American cuisine
Czech pastries
Cuisine of Minnesota
Texan cuisine
Sweet breads
Yeast breads
Foods with jam
mk:Колач