Potica

Slovenian 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: Slovenian potica;

Slovenian potica (Slovene: Slovenska potica) is a nut roll and a traditional festive pastry from Slovenia.

The name of potica is distinctly Slovenian and developed etymologically from earlier Slovenian forms such as povitica, povtica, potvitsa. This is also connected with the development of potica production methods from the Middle Ages (before the 15th century) to the beginning of the 20th century, when development stabilized and the unique naming of potica was established from the 18th century. The term Slovenian potica has been used since the second half of the 19th century.

Varieties[]

Slovenian 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 Slovenian poticas are made with ground walnut, tarragon, quark, hazelnut, pumpkin seed or poppy seed, salted ones even with cracklings or bacon, and other fillings. Slovenian 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.^[1]^[2] 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.^[3]