Potica

Potica
	Slovenska potica is variation of rolled pastry.
Alternative names	Potica
Type	Pastry
Place of origin	Slovenia
Region or state	all regions of Slovenia, Carinthia, Province of Trieste
Created by	traditional folk food
Main ingredients	Sweet yeast dough, ground walnut, butter
Variations	tarragon, quark, hazelnut, pumpkin seed, poppy seed, cracklings, bacon
	Media: Potica;

Potica (Slovene pronunciation: [pɔˈtiːt͡sa], also slovenska potica) is a traditional festive pastry from Slovenia.

The word potica as well as some regional names for potica, like povtica, potvica, etc. are descended from the word povitica. Povitica is derived from the verb 'poviti', which means to wrap in or to envelop, and it signifies a type of pastry that you roll. This type of dessert is common in many Eastern European countries as well as in regions bordering Slovenia, for example, in Friuli in neighboring Italy, they prepare a sweet bread called gubana, in Austria, a roll called Kärntner Reinling.^[1]

Varieties

Potica consists of a rolled pastry made of leavened paper-thin dough filled with any of a great variety of fillings, but most often with walnut filling.

The most characteristic poticas are made with ground walnut, tarragon, quark, hazelnut or poppy seed, salted ones even with cracklings or bacon, and other fillings. Potica is a festive pastry and could be baked in two ways: in the oven or directly on the hearth, but original Slovenska potica is a ring-shaped pastry, baked always in the special shaped potica baking mould (ceramic, glass or tin one), called potičnik, which has a conical protrusion in the middle.

Potica is served also every Easter and Christmas in Slovenia and is still very popular even in some parts of the United States.^[2]^[3] For example, potica is a popular offering at many local bakeries in Hibbing, Minnesota based on recipes handed down for generations in the immigrant community.^[4]