Makovnjača

The story

Makovnjača, a yeast cake rolled around a poppy seed filling, forms with orehnjača a pair that is rarely separated on the Croatian holiday table — one cake for those who prefer walnuts, the other for those who prefer poppy seeds, and many families insist that both must be there. In wider Central European belief, poppy seeds are associated with abundance and prosperity, the same symbolism behind Hungarian poppy seed bejgli and Polish makowiec: the idea that a multitude of tiny poppy seeds brings a multitude of luck or money in the new year. For the filling, the poppy seeds must be finely ground or pounded in a mortar and mixed with sugar and, if desired, rum or lemon zest before being spread over the rolled-out dough. The cake is rolled up, left to rise a little longer, and baked until golden. For Croatian families in the diaspora, the two rolled cakes side by side — one dark with walnuts, one gray-black with poppy seeds — are among the most recognizable visual details of a Croatian holiday table.