The Makowiec is a roll with a poppy seed filling (mak), sugar and orange zest, popular in Central Europe and parts of Eastern Europe, where it is commonly consumed during Christmas and Easter.
▶ Other names for this Polish dessert include: makowiec strudla, strucla, makownik, or placka.
▶ It resembles the Swiss Roll (in Polish rolada Orzechowa), but the makowiec recipe uses a yeast dough instead of sponge cake.
▶ According to legend, poppy seeds grew where the blood of Jesus fell during the crucifixion.
Thus, eating makowiec with poppy seeds at Easter and Christmas became a symbol of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
On the blog, you’ll also find the recipe for a Romanian Christmas dessert also with a poppy seed filling:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Polish
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2/3 cup milk
- 4 3/4 cups flour
- 4 egg yolks (+ 1 egg for brushing)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 10 1/2 oz poppy seeds
- 3/4 cup milk
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 orange (zest only)
- 1 cup sugar
Steps
For the dough:
Mix the butter with warm milk, add the flour, egg yolks, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Work the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Prepare the filling:
Cook the poppy seeds in the milk, drain and grind them twice. Add the butter, orange zest, sugar, and honey if desired.
Roll out the dough, fill with the poppy seed mixture, roll gently, brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 35 minutes.
Dust with powdered sugar.
Sniadanie, the Polish breakfast
Sniadanie, the Polish breakfast
Sniadanie, the Polish breakfast
🌟In 2017 I spent a wonderful New Year’s Eve in Krakow, a city that literally stole my heart.
We stayed at a Hilton and breakfast was international.
Today, I virtually return there for a traditional Polish SNIADANIE themed Christmas breakfast consisting of Makoviec and….
▪️Jajecznica na skwarkach (scrambled eggs with bacon) and boiled egg
▪️Twarog (cheese similar to quark)
▪️Smoked Kielbasa (Polish sausage)
▪️Szyka (cooked ham) and sliced tomato
▪️Placki (potato pancakes), very similar to rösti
▪️Bread with butter
▪️Nalesniki (Polish crepes) which I made with my crepe pan.
▪️Milk and cereal
and the king of the table… MAKOWIEC
In a traditional Polish breakfast, you can’t miss kutia and porridge.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Who invented the makowiec?
No one knows who invented the makowiec for sure.
Legend has it that the baker of Polish King Jan III Sobieski once prepared a
makowiec decorated with a replica of the queen in the 17th century.
