Purica s Mlincima

The story

Turkey with mlinci is tied especially to northwestern Croatia, Zagorje, and Slavonia, where it is regarded as an almost obligatory symbol of the Christmas table. Mlinci, thin sheets of dough made from flour, salt, and water, are first baked dry until crisp, then broken into pieces, softened for a few minutes in boiling salted water, drained, and doused with the hot drippings from the roasting turkey, in which they finish cooking briefly until they soak up all the flavor of the meat juices. This method — drying ahead, then “reviving” with liquid just before serving — is a common principle in Central European cuisines, which looked for ways to prepare dough in advance without fear of spoilage. Mlinci are served with other roast meats as well, but it is the pairing with turkey that newspaper articles and family stories regularly describe as a “symbol of Christmas tradition.” For Croatian families in the diaspora, the smell of mlinci finishing in turkey drippings is often more recognizable than any other detail of the Christmas table.