Orehovki are walnut cookies typical of Christmas in Bulgaria.
They have only three ingredients: walnuts, egg whites, and sugar, naturally gluten-free.
The translation of the word “ореховки” is indeed walnuts.
Unlike Serbia, Macedonia, and Russia, in Bulgaria, Christmas, Koleda in Bulgarian, is celebrated on December 25th and not on January 7th.
During the entire Communist period, celebrating Christmas was prohibited, but in March 1990, following a parliamentary decision, Christmas was officially recognized again in Bulgaria.
The evening of the 25th is characterized by special traditions linked to the ritual called “koleduvane”.
Young boys and unmarried men, nicknamed “koledari”, go from house to house singing carols. In return, they receive money and food.
The “koleduvane” ends with a big feast, featuring large servings of meat.
The cookies were made during a live TikTok session from my profile.
Another Bulgarian recipe on the blog:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 10 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Double Boiler, Oven
- Cuisine: Eastern European
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients for Orehovki:
- 2 cups walnuts
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup powdered sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
Steps
Chop the walnuts.
Whisk the egg whites, using a double boiler, with a pinch of salt, add the other ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes.
Cut out circles with a pastry cutter and bake in a static oven at 320°F for 20 minutes.
Ščelkunčik is a Soviet animated film from 1973 inspired by the fairy tale of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” and the ballet by Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky “The Nutcracker“.
