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''Cozonac'' () or ''Kozunak'' ( bg, козунак ) is a special sweet leavened bread, traditional to Southeastern Europe, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece, etc. Rich in eggs, milk and butter, it is usually prepared for Easter in Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in Romania and Moldova it is also traditional for
Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
. The name comes from the
Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...
word for hair-коса/kosa, or el, κοσωνάκι, translit=kosōnáki, a diminutive form of el, κοσώνα, label=none, translit=kosṓna. Cozonac was the sweet chosen to represent Romania 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 Austrian presidency of the European Union, on
Europe Day Europe Day is a day celebrating "peace and unity in Europe" celebrated on 5 May by the Council of Europe and on 9 May by the European Union. The first recognition of Europe Day was by the Council of Europe, introduced in 1964. The European Un ...
2006.


Origins

In Great Britain, the first recipe of "cozonac" appears in a cookbook in 1718, with the recommendation to be baked in long and narrow forms, a recommendation that remains valid nowadays. A similar Italian dessert, Panettone, whose recipe was shared and adapted in Eastern Europe following the Roman occupation, is often mentioned as a starting point for the cozonac. Romanians added cocoa, rum, walnuts and Turkish delight to the composition, thus creating an original version of the dish, which was not to be missed from any Easter or Christmas table for hundreds of years and is widely recognised as a traditional dessert. Today, this dessert with a long history is prepared mainly in southeastern European countries, especially in North Macedonia, Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria, where it is considered a traditional food.


Ingredients and preparation

''Cozonac'' is a sweet bread, into which milk, yeast, eggs,
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
, butter, and other ingredients are mixed together and allowed to rise before baking. In Bulgaria, the ''kozunak'' is prepared by adding lemon zest to the dough mixture, just as the Romanian version. In North Macedonia, the Macedonians for Easter traditionally bake a sweet bread called with sultanas and raisins in the shape of a girl's plated hair, a braid. That is why the name of this traditional Easter bread is derived from the Bulgarian word for hair-коса/kosa. There is also the straw plated mat Macedonians in the past used to lay on the ground to sleep upon called Rogozina or Ruguzina. In Romania, the recipes for trimmings differ rather significantly between regions. The dough is essentially similar throughout the country; a plain sweet bread made from
flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
, eggs, milk, butter, sugar and salt. Depending on the region, one may add to it any of the following: raisins, grated orange or lemon zest, walnuts or
hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus ''Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according t ...
s, and vanilla or rum flavor. Cozonac may be sprinkled with
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 countries, ...
s on top. Other styles dictate the use of a filling, usually a ground walnut mixture with ground poppy seeds, cocoa powder, rum essence, or raisins. The dough is rolled flat with a pin, the filling is spread and the whole is rolled back into a shape vaguely resembling a pinwheel. In the baked product, the filling forms a swirl adding to the character of the bread.


Similar breads

Cozonac is a sweet, egg-enriched bread, which is rooted in the cuisines of Western and Central Asia.''Толковìй словарь живаго великорусскаго язîка'', Dal' V.I., IAS, 1869 Examples of similar breads from other cultures include ''badnji kruh'' in Croatian cuisine, ''folar de páscoa'' in
Portuguese cuisine The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dishes of meat, fish, poultry and others. ''Culinária Portuguesa'', by António-Maria De O ...
, brioche in French cuisine, kulich in Russian cuisine, panettone in Italian cuisine,
hot cross bun A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun usually made with fruit, marked with a cross on the top, and has been traditionally eaten on Good Friday in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, India, Pakistan and ...
in English cuisine, challah in Jewish cuisine, or
stollen Stollen ( or ) is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar and often containing marzipan. It is a traditional German Christmas bread. During the Christmas season the cake-like loaves ...
in German cuisine. Such rich brioche-like breads are also traditional in other countries, such as Hungary and the Czech Republic.


See also

* List of sweet breads * Panettone * Pască * Tsoureki


Notes and references


External links


Cozonac old recipes and more

Cozonac with walnut

Cozonac

Cozonac Rosenkrantz

Cozonac with cocoa
( r
cozonac cu cacao
{{Christmas Easter bread Bulgarian cuisine Macedonian cuisine Moldovan cuisine Romanian breads Christmas in Romania Sweet breads Christmas cakes Yeast cakes