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Kolach or kalach is a traditional
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 ...
found in
Central and Eastern Europe Central and Eastern Europe is a term encompassing the countries in the Baltics, Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Southeast Europe (mostly the Balkans), usually meaning former communist states from the Eastern Bloc and Warsaw Pact in Europe. ...
an cuisines, commonly served during various ritual meals. The name originates from the Old Slavonic word ''kolo'' (коло) meaning "circle" or "wheel". Korovai is sometimes categorised as a type of kolach.


Etymology

The name slightly varies between countries, but its general meaning originally comes from the Early Slavic root vocabulary that references the circular shape of the bread ( Proto-Slavic: *kolačь, derived from "kolo"). Variants of "kolach" (
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 ...
,
Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...
and ,
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
and Silesian: kołacz, , , sl, kolác) are the most commonly used forms, but "kalach" (
Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...
and , ,
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
and Silesian: kołocz) is also widespread. The nouns " korovai" ( pl, korowaj, sr, коровај, uk, коровай), "karavai" ( be, каравай, russian: каравай), and "kravai" ( bg, кравай) are not etymologically related to "kolach", but are used as names for a very similar type of bread, one that can be savoury or sweet; in some countries, such as Poland, ''korowaj'' is considered simply a more decorative type of kolach and thus used interchangeably with ''kołacz''. The names cz, kolač and sk, koláč, although of the same origin as "kolach", refer to another pastry—the differently shaped cake
kolach Kolach is the Slavonic term for a number of traditional baked products, such as: *Kolach (bread), a circular bread, most often made as a sweet dish *Slavski kolač, a Serbian variant of the kolach, made for the celebration of Slava *Kolach (cake), ...
as opposed to the sweet bread. In Poland and Serbia ''kołacz'' and ''kolač'' respectively are also used as the name for different types of cakes too.


Traditions by country

Kolach and korovai pastries, as well as the customs associated with them and the way they are made, share some similarities (especially across the Slavonic nations), but various differences exist between countries and even regions within each country.


Belarus

Just like in neighbouring Ukraine and Poland, the kolach remains an important element of rural celebrations in Belarus (especially at weddings) where it is known as "калач" and "кравай". The kalach represents hospitality, future prosperity, and respect; it is often decorated with various figurines and symbolic flags. Usually served savoury, the kravai is sometimes dipped in salt.


Hungary

The Hungarian kalács (pronounced kɒlaːtʃ is a sweet
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 ...
very similar to brioche, usually baked in a braided form, and traditionally considered an Easter food. Until the end of the 19th century, the preparation of kalács was similar to that of everyday bread; the difference was in the shape, and in the better/quality
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 ...
used for the kalács. Nowadays kalács is prepared from dough enriched with milk and eggs. It is baked in an oven or brick oven, sometimes directly on the stones of the brick oven, or on a baking sheet. Kalács is part of the traditional Easter menu in Hungary, often consecrated together with ham in Catholic churches. In the Szeged region at All Saints unfilled kalács was baked called All Saints' Kalács (mindenszentek kalácsa, kolduskalács = Beggar's Kalács), which was given to beggars at the gate of the graveyard. Also kalács was given to beggars praying at the graveyard's gate in Csallóköz to prevent the dead from returning. Giving kalács to beggars is the
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
form of the pagan tradition of treating the dead.


Poland

According to Sophie Hodorowicz Knab, the first known documented record of a special bread called ''kołacz'' or ''korowaj'' being served at Polish weddings (though today it can also be made for
Dożynki Dożynki (''Dozhinki'', ua, Обжинки, Obzhynky, pl, Dożynki, russian: Обжинки, Obzhynki; be, Прачыстая, '' Prachystaya''; cs, Dožínky, Obžinky; csb, Òżniwinë; ''Dormition'') is a Slavic harvest festival. In pre-C ...
, Christmas or Easter) dates back to the start of the 13th century, which suggests the custom of baking these sweet breads could be much older as at that point it was already a well known tradition on Polish lands. Ethnographic studies from the years 1970-1982 and 2003 showed that the custom of making ''kołacze'' (Polish plural of ''kołacz'') survived, particularly in rural areas, throughout many regions of Poland; however, the specifics - such as whether the pastry was prepared at the house of the bride or that of the groom - varied across towns and villages. Some kolache come with fillings, such as white cheese and poppyseed, raisins,
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
kasha and dried
plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...
; sometimes they are topped with powdered sugar or poppyseeds. Although not always so, ''kołacz'' is often decorated (especially when served on special occasions), whereas ''korowaj'' practically always refers to an even more lavish type of kolach with common motifs like a bird's nest in the middle surrounded by braids, ears of grain, birds, conifer cones, roses, floral patterns, etc. In 1900-1903, Zygmunt Gloger wrote that the Polish kolach came in many diverse variants, most often made using wheat or rye flour, and he shared the view that the name ''kołacz'' and rituals associated with the bread bearing this title had older roots shared across all Slavonic peoples. Within the Polish context, Gloger spoke of an ancient Slavic version of the kolach tradition that was for a long time preserved among the ''
szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...
'' (Polish nobility) who laid out the ''kołacze'' onto the table and the ladies gathered would then begin singing, clapping their hands, and rapidly dancing in front of the presented baked goods. Numerous regional types of sweet bread named ''kołacz'' or ''korowaj'' have been registered within the database of Poland's
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
. The Ministry writes that the custom of kolach/korovai making has been present in present-day eastern Poland (particularly in Podlachia, Suwałki Region, Lublin Voivodeship, Mazovia) since the Middle Ages and is also celebrated by Serbs, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. Various sayings and rhymes about the kolach have also entered the Polish language and culture over the centuries that it was baked, showing the importance of this sweet bread and the rituals surrounding it as an ancient tradition of the Polish nation as well as among the
Rusyn Rusyn may refer to: * Rusyns, Rusyn people, an East Slavic people ** Pannonian Rusyns, Pannonian Rusyn people, a branch of Rusyn people ** Lemkos, a branch of Rusyn (or Ukrainian) people ** Boykos, a branch of Rusyn (or Ukrainian) people * Rusyn l ...
minority that has inhabited parts of Poland throughout its history. In some parts of Silesia, the kolach is known as ''kołocz'' instead and made to celebrate other holidays (such as
Dożynki Dożynki (''Dozhinki'', ua, Обжинки, Obzhynky, pl, Dożynki, russian: Обжинки, Obzhynki; be, Прачыстая, '' Prachystaya''; cs, Dožínky, Obžinky; csb, Òżniwinë; ''Dormition'') is a Slavic harvest festival. In pre-C ...
) as well as being baked for weddings. The Armenian communities and their descendants, who have been an important part of Polish society since at least the 14th century, also cultivate the tradition of kolach as a holiday pastry but with the addition of saffron as an ingredient.


Romania and Moldova

The traditional
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
and Moldovan ''colac'' is a braided bread, typically made for special occasions or holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, weddings, and funerals. It is a traditional custom of Romanian rural society, on Christmas Eve, to gather in groups, to go in different houses and to sing '' colinde'', traditional Christmas carols. In some villages, they go first to the mayor's house, followed by the teacher's house, whereas in other parts there is no pre-established order. The families would then invite them into the house, and give them different small gifts such as nuts, dried fruits, and colacs. The word ''colac'' (plural ''colaci'') came from Slavic ''kolač'' and ultimately from Proto-Slavic ''kolo'' ("circle", "wheel") referring to the circular form. The word may be cognate with '' challah'' ( he, חלה ''ḥallah'') and Greek κολλιξ.


Russia

In modern Russian, ''kalach'' refers to a specific type of twisted white bread. Historically, kalach meant any kind of white bread, and before modern methods of grinding wheat came into use, white bread was classed as a type of fancy bread. Kalach usually looks like a circle, but one part of it is significantly thinner, and the other is significantly thicker. The traditional explanation is that the thinner part was used as a "handle" so kalach could be eaten even by workers who had no time to wash their hands. After eating, the handle was thrown away or given to the poor. Because only desperate people ate the handles that had been thrown away, this is thought to be the origin of the Russian saying "go down to the handle" (дойти до ручки, ''doyti do ruchki'') meaning to experience a profound setback, to hit rock bottom. A man who made kalaches was called a ''kalachnik'' (калачник), which sometimes became ''kalashnik'' (калашник) due to the sandhi effect. Such a man's descendants might be given the surname ''Kalachnikov'' (Калачников) or '' Kalashnikov'' (Калашников, " onof the kalach-maker").


Serbia

In Serbia, the ''kolač'' (as the kolach is known there) is a traditional yeast bread generally considered a cake. As opposed to the welcoming and wedding ceremonies of Poland and some other Slavic countries, in Serbia the custom of baking and consuming kolach is used solely for the purpose of the
Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...
celebration of
Slava Slava may refer to: Ships * ''Slava'' class cruiser, a modern Russian warship ** Soviet cruiser Slava (1979), now Russian cruiser ''Moskva'', a ''Slava'' class guided missile cruiser sunk during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine * Russian ba ...
- hence the name ''Slavski kolač''. The parish priest visits the family to consecrate the ''kolač'' and red wine, and to light a beeswax candle stamped with an image of the family's patron saint. The ''Slavski kolač'' is a round, yeast, bread cake approximately high. Traditionally, braided dough is wrapped around the rim and a dough cross is pressed into the centre of the dough, dividing the loaf into quarters. Each quarter gets further decoration, such as a Cyrillic "C", which stands for ''samo sloga Srbina spasava'' meaning "only unity will save the Serbs". Around the rim
Cyrillic , bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця , fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs , fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic , fam3 = Phoenician , fam4 = G ...
letters "ИС ХС НИ КА" are placed, an abbreviation for "Jesus Christ Conquers". Every baker has their own style of decoration.


Ukraine

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 ...
kolaches are made by braiding dough made with wheat flour into ring-shaped or oblong forms. They are a symbol of luck, prosperity, and good bounty, and are traditionally prepared for '' Svyat Vechir (Holy Supper)'', the Ukrainian
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
ritual. For Christmas kolach three braided loaves of varied sizes are stacked representing the Trinity. The bread's circular shape symbolizes eternity. When served as part of Christmas dinner, a candle is placed in the centre of the intricately braided loaves, but the bread can't be eaten until Christmas Day because observance of the
Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...
fasting requires abstaining from eggs until midnight on
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
. For funerals, the loaves are brought to church for Divine Liturgy to be blessed and then served in slices with fresh fruit as a symbol of the good the deceased did in their lifetime. Exact customs vary but as an example the three loaves are decorated with three apples, three oranges, and grapes, with a candle placed in the centre. Sometimes a small individual loaf is given. In the area around Kyiv, it was custom for a midwife to give a kolach as a gift to parents, as part of a fertility blessing. Kalaches were also used in funeral ceremonies. As well in Galicia and Bukovina they were given by children to their godparents in ceremony called a ''kolachyny'' (кола́чини) or ''kolachannya'' (кола́чання). The Bread Museum in L'viv, Ukraine, contains many examples of intricately woven kalach, paska, and babka.


See also

* Challah, Jewish braided bread *
Slavski kolač Slavski kolač () is a traditional Serbian cake (a type of yeast bread). It is made for the Orthodox Christian celebration of Slava, a UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The parish priest visits the f ...
, a Serbian orthodox bread *
Covrigi Covrigi are Romanian baked goods similar to pretzels. They consist of salted bread topped with poppy seeds, sesame seeds or large salt grains. They do not usually contain any added sweeteners such as sugar. Covrigi is the plural form of the Roman ...
* Kolache, Czech pastry * Korovai, another Slavic braided bread


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalach (Food) Ceremonial food and drink Christmas food Easter bread Gagauz cuisine Hungarian cuisine Moldovan cuisine Polish cuisine Romanian cuisine Russian cuisine Serbian cuisine Slavic cuisine Ukrainian cuisine Sweet breads Yeast breads Braided egg breads Wedding food Baked foods