Štedrák

The story

Štedrák takes its name from Štedrý večer, the Slovak name for Christmas Eve, and it is sometimes simply called štedrovečerný koláč, the Christmas Eve cake. It began as a ceremonial bake for that one supper: thin sheets of yeast dough stacked with the four classic fillings of the Slovak kitchen — plum lekvár, ground walnuts, poppy seeds and tvaroh, the fresh farmer's cheese. Nothing about it is modest, and that was the idea. The layers stood for abundance, fertility and a good harvest, and a rich cake on the table carried the family's wish for a prosperous year, in keeping with the old belief that the way a year begins shapes what follows. Slovak writers on Christmas customs name štedrák among the cakes that could not be missing from the Christmas Eve table in central Slovakia, and it is still described as the most traditional Christmas dessert, although in many homes poppy seed and walnut rolls have taken its place. Cut into squares that show every stripe, it gives Slovak American families who already bake those rolls all the same flavors in a single pan.