Trying Super Old Recipes: Пряник

The Пряник, or Pryanik, is a remarkably traditional spice cake that is so dated, it did not originally use sugar because it hadn’t been conventionally invented yet, hence the main ingredient being honey. Which, in fact, makes the title “Пряник” quite deceiving as the direct translation means “ginger”, yet this ingredient remains absent in this spicy dessert. I have observed and noted that in other recipes such as the decadent Russian honey cake, Марленка, Russians really do love their honey.

This little dessert cookie, while popular among all Eastern European audiences, localized itself in the city of Tula, a modest tourist destination right below great Moscow. Back in the first dozen centuries after Christ, Tula was a hub for talented gunsmiths and eager industrialists who found a hobby in using their skills of press-making to make elaborate molds for пряники. From there, the traditional aesthetic of beautiful and elaborate designs tightly held on with the modest spice cake.

As a big fan of honey and spice, I was eager to get on board with trying this simple recipe. A round cookie glazed in a simple icing should not be so hard, but we will see how it goes as I am writing this before beginning my work.

I attempted to take this picture about half a dozen times due to how incredible shaky my arms became after combining this dough. I harnessed the brute strength of my Russian ancestors to defeat this cement-like dough and coated my hands in oil to efficiently roll out this stubborn mixture onto my baking stone. After experiencing the well-known stickiness of пряник dough, I wondered how the bakers of Tula are able to manage such clean and intricate designs in their craft.

Quickly, my kitchen smelled heavenly with cinnamon and honey baking in the oven. When it was time to pull the first пряник batch out, I was surprised at how well they kept their round shape (at least a few), a shape that is foretold to be in honor of Khors, Pagan god of the sun. Which is highly convenient, since it’s a bit difficult to get them to bake in any other shape. All hail Khors, I guess?

After letting them cool for several minutes, I heavily glazed them in a simple sugar and egg yolk mixture and let them harden. My dad and I tried a couple from the first batch and instantly approved. Such a simple yet flavorful dessert! Another reason to make the trip to Russia has been added to the pile.

After learning about the unseemingly well-bound history this dessert has in Russia and Ukraine, I was even more excited to get in the kitchen and try something new. I highly recommend not only to try this traditional recipe, but to do some wholesome research on new recipes you may try in the future as it really recreates and enriches the whole baking experience. The recipe I followed is by Simply Home Cooked on Pinterest, which you can find here https://pin.it/3zkASJ5.

I look forward to tomorrow morning when I can try these with black coffee as the recipe recommends!

Until next time, до свиданя!

-Лилия