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Poznań opens croissant museum

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 15.04.2014 09:52
A museum has opened in the western city of Poznan dedicated to the city’s culinary speciality, the ‘rogal świętomarcińki’ or ‘St Martin’s croissant’.

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photo - wiki/CC

The pastry has been an inseparable part of St Martin’s Day celebrations on November 11 in Poznan and the surrounding area for over 150 years.

The museum, located in the five centuries-old house in the Market Square, opposite the Town Hall, offers insights into the history of the ‘rogal’, the traditional recipes, and the anecdotes associated with the pastry.

Visitors to the museum can see how this Poznan speciality is baked and taste it on the spot.

The flaky croissant dough is made of wheat flour, margarine, milk, eggs, sugar, yeast, salt and lemon flavouring.

The rogal has a white poppy-seed filling, to which almond flavouring is added. In 2009, ‘St Martin’s croissant’ was registered as a protected EU regional product. It features prominently in the city’s promotional activities.

There are many legends associated with the ‘rogal’ . One of them has it that the first person to bake the ‘rogal’ was the confectioner Jan Melzer, who encouraged his employer to bake croissants and offer them to the city’s poor.

He came up with the idea in the middle of the 19th century, having listened to the preachings of a priest in St. Martin’s parish.

As to the shape of the ‘rogal’, legend has it that it resembles a horseshoe because the town’s confectioners found a horseshoe which was said to have been lost by St.Martin’s horse.

There is a story suggesting that the shape of the ‘rogal’ has historical roots. During the successful relief of the siege of Vienna in 1683, King Jan Sobieski of Poland seized many Turkish flags, on which a crescent appears. Its shape has served as a model for St Martin’s ‘rogal’.

On 11 November – St Martin’s Day – and prior to it, about 400 tonnes of the delicacy are sold – and eaten – in the Poznań region. (mk/pg)

tags: poznan
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