{"id":8389,"date":"2026-10-19T23:31:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8389"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:50:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:50:13","slug":"makowiec","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/makowiec\/","title":{"rendered":"Makowiec"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A thick layer of black poppy seed filling runs between the swirls of thin rolled dough. Polish makowiec comes not only as a rolled log but also as a flat cake with the filling spread on a crumbly base. Mak<\/em> means poppy, and makowe ciasto<\/em> means \u201cpoppy seed cake.\u201d According to the linguist El\u017cbieta Wierzbicka-Piotrowska, Makowiec<\/em> is a name formed by shortening this phrase, and it comes from the main ingredient, poppy seed, rather than from the cake’s shape.<\/p>\n

\n\"Makowiec\n
Cross-section of makowiec (taken on April 19, 2006, according to Exif; location unknown). Dark poppy seed filling and pale dough form broad swirls. Photo: Bartekbas \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 2.5<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. We have not altered or cropped the content.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Soaking poppy seeds and grinding them into a filling<\/h2>\n

The poppy seeds are not a decoration sprinkled on the surface; they go into the filling that makes up most of the cake. They are softened in boiling water or similar, drained and ground, then combined with ingredients such as sugar, honey, nuts and dried fruit. In the recipe (ingredient proportions and method) for a rolled log published in \u201cMoje Wypieki,\u201d poppy seeds ground twice are mixed with honey, sugar, walnuts, raisins and candied orange peel, and whipped egg whites are added just before rolling. The yolks go into the yeast dough and the whites into the filling packed with poppy seeds.<\/p>\n

In this recipe, when the amount of honey is increased, the filling also becomes moister, so the seeds are drained thoroughly during preparation. Rolling up the dough spread with filling and wrapping it somewhat loosely in baking paper keeps the log from losing its shape while leaving the dough room to rise. Besides adjusting the thickness of the dough and the firmness of the filling, the baker also leaves room when wrapping for the dough to expand as it proofs.<\/p>\n

\n\"Makowiec\n
A slice of makowiec baked by the photographer (May 18, 2007; location unknown). Unlike a rolled swirl, it has a thick filling on a flat base. Photo: Husky \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY 2.5<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. We have not altered or cropped the content.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Dough finished in rolled and flat forms<\/h2>\n

In the rolled log, dough and filling alternate across the cut surface. In the flat-baked version, the filling is spread thickly on a crumbly base and may be scattered with crumble or topped with a lattice made from the remaining dough cut into thin strips. In one example of a lattice method, the base is prebaked and cooled, then marmalade, poppy seed filling and strips of chilled dough are layered on, and the cake is baked again. The pattern of the cut surface differs from that of a cake in which the dough and filling form many layers of swirls.<\/p>\n

In the Silesian ko\u0142ocz, which is associated with weddings, poppy seed filling is sandwiched between an upper and a lower sheet of yeast dough, and crumb topping is scattered on top. Besides poppy seeds, the filling may be cheese or a mixture of the two. It is a different kind of celebration cake using poppy seeds, baked as a large rectangle about 3 centimeters thick and cut into squares.<\/p>\n

The \u201cpoppy seed strudel\u201d in an 1827 cookbook<\/h2>\n

A cookbook by J. J. Szczepa\u0144ski, published in Lw\u00f3w in 1827, includes Sztrudel z makiem<\/em>. A dough of butter, egg yolks, cream and yeast is left to rise a little, spread with a filling of poppy seeds mixed with butter, vanilla, lemon peel and warmed milk, rolled up, left to rise a little again, and baked. The recipe is also reprinted in the official cookbook \u201cKanon kuchni polskiej.\u201d<\/p>\n

The title is \u201cpoppy seed strudel,\u201d but the structure of grinding poppy seeds into a spreadable filling and wrapping it in thin dough is already there. At least by 1827, a rolled cake using flour, milk, eggs and poppy seeds appeared in a cookbook. When the name makowiec arose and when the cake was first made are not clear.<\/p>\n

Rolled cakes made differently in three towns<\/h2>\n

In the makowiec of Lubart\u00f3w, the thick filling stands out more than the thin yeast dough. Poppy seeds from the Lublin region and honey from local beekeepers are combined with nuts and raisins. It spread after World War II as pastry shops and eateries multiplied in the town, and it was baked not only on celebration days but also in everyday life.<\/p>\n

In S\u0119dzisz\u00f3w, in Podkarpacie in southeastern Poland, a log of about 30 centimeters is covered with white icing and shows broad, dark swirls. A traditional method is to simmer the poppy seeds until soft, then either grind them in a ridged bowl called a makutra (makutra<\/em>) or put them through a grinder three times, and combine them with egg whites and dried fruit. Bakers take care not to let the flour get cold and not to make the milk added to the yeast too hot. For home bakers preparing for a celebration, baking the cake without cracks was a matter of pride.<\/p>\n

The makowiec of Ejszeryszki in the northeast is a large log about 37 centimeters long and weighing about 1.6 kilograms. In the old days, the poppy seeds were soaked in water without boiling while their condition was checked, egg white was brushed onto the dough before the filling was spread, and the cake was baked seam side down in a wood-fired bread oven. Both the preparation of the poppy seeds and the use of the oven differ from S\u0119dzisz\u00f3w, where the seeds are simmered and ground three times.<\/p>\n

The Lubart\u00f3w cake was entered in Poland’s register of traditional products in 2012, the S\u0119dzisz\u00f3w cake in 2007, and the Ejszeryszki cake in 2011. The registration documents describe each cake’s characteristics and its connection to local life.<\/p>\n

A recipe brought to Choszczno by postwar migration<\/h2>\n

The rolled cake handed down in Choszczno in northwestern Poland carries a history of migration after World War II. People who came from eastern Poland brought their family recipes to West Pomerania in the late 1940s. Local interviews also preserve a memory of a grandmother baking it for celebrations in the 1930s.<\/p>\n

It first became known around Wrzosowo and Banie, and by the 1970s it had also taken root in Choszczno. One resident recalls that by 1973, around the time a new bakery was built, the rolled cake was always on sale. Filled with local honey, nuts and dried fruit, rolled up and covered with white icing, the cake became a specialty of its new home through families’ migration and shop sales.<\/p>\n

\n\"Slices\n
Slices of makowiec photographed on Christmas Eve (December 24, 2010; location unknown). The rolled cake has been sliced and arranged on a plate. Photo: Silar \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Full-size image obtained. We have not altered or cropped the content.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Wishes placed in poppy seeds and the festive table<\/h2>\n

In S\u0119dzisz\u00f3w, this cake was once baked for special days such as Christmas and Easter. Poppy seed dishes were believed to bring good fortune, and the ethnographer Grzegorz Rusak recorded a custom of grinding poppy seeds on Christmas Eve as a wish that an unmarried daughter would soon marry.<\/p>\n

It is also made at Pentecost and Carnival in Lubart\u00f3w, and in Ejszeryszki on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as well as Christmas Eve. Kutia, which combines grain, honey and nuts, and the Silesian mak\u00f3wki, which layer bread with milk and poppy seeds, also use the same seed for celebrations. All of them involve the work of crushing poppy seeds, but they differ: kutia is a dish that includes grain, mak\u00f3wki is bread soaked with milk and poppy seeds, and makowiec is a cake baked with the filling either rolled in dough or spread on a base.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Poppy (mak)<\/strong>: Poppy seeds used in sweets. They are softened and then crushed or ground, and are also used as a filling for cakes.<\/p>

Makowiec (makowiec)<\/strong>: The name of a Polish cake made mainly with poppy seeds. The word does not refer only to the rolled form.<\/p>

Strudel (sztrudel)<\/strong>: A name for rolled pastries. The reprinted 1827 recipe is titled \u201cpoppy seed strudel.\u201d<\/p>

Makutra (makutra)<\/strong>: A bowl for grinding poppy seeds and other ingredients. It appears in the interviews from S\u0119dzisz\u00f3w and Ejszeryszki.<\/p>

Kutia \/ Mak\u00f3wki<\/strong>: Other festive dishes that use poppy seeds. The former combines them with grain, and the latter with bread and milk.<\/p>

El\u017cbieta Wierzbicka-Piotrowska<\/strong>: A linguist who has studied Polish names for cakes and explained how the word makowiec was formed.<\/p>

J. J. Szczepa\u0144ski<\/strong>: The author whose cookbook, published in 1827, includes a \u201cpoppy seed strudel.\u201d<\/p>

Choszczno<\/strong>: A town in West Pomerania in northwestern Poland. A rolled poppy seed cake brought by migrants from eastern Poland became its specialty.<\/p>

Ko\u0142ocz<\/strong>: A Silesian wedding cake. One form sandwiches poppy seeds or cheese between two sheets of yeast dough.<\/p>

Grzegorz Rusak<\/strong>: An ethnographer whose explanation of poppy seeds and wishes on Christmas Eve is cited in the S\u0119dzisz\u00f3w registration document.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    El\u017cbieta Wierzbicka-Piotrowska, \u201cPrzewodnik po polskich nazwach ciast, ciastek i ciasteczek\u201d, Prace Filologiczne<\/em> 77<\/a> \u2014 PDF p.455; how the word makowiec<\/em> was formed. Does not indicate when the food tradition originated.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    Polish Ministry of Agriculture, \u201cKanon kuchni polskiej\u201d<\/a> \u2014 PDF p.117; reprint of J. J. Szczepa\u0144ski’s 1827 \u201cSztrudel z makiem.\u201d The 1827 original was not examined for this article.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    Polish Ministry of Agriculture: Makowiec lubartowski<\/a> \u2014 Shape, ingredients, the town after the war, festive and everyday use, registered in 2012. The registration year is not the year of invention.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    Polish Ministry of Agriculture: Makowiec s\u0119dziszowski<\/a> \u2014 Shape, grinding method, baking method, folklore quoted from Rusak, registered in 2007. The original interview recordings and the full text of Rusak’s paper were not examined.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  5. \n

    Polish Ministry of Agriculture: Makowiec z Ejszeryszek<\/a> \u2014 Shape, preparation of the seeds, wood-fired oven, annual observances, registered in 2011. Does not represent every household’s method.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  6. \n

    Moje Wypieki: Makowiec zawijany<\/a> \u2014 The author’s own rolled recipe. Grinding twice, draining, dividing the eggs, honey and moisture, baking paper.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  7. \n

    Kamis: Makowiec na kruchym spodzie<\/a> \u2014 A worked example of a flat crumbly base, poppy seed filling and crumble.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  8. \n

    Culture.pl: The 12 Dishes of Polish Christmas<\/a> \u2014 Background on Christmas dishes that use poppy seeds. The symbolism is kept distinct from the regional interviews.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  9. \n

    Polish Ministry of Agriculture, \u201cChoszcze\u0144ska strucla z makiem\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Postwar migration, introduction in the late 1940s, local establishment in the 1970s, and residents’ recollections of the bakery.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  10. \n

    Polish Ministry of Agriculture, \u201cKo\u0142ocz weselny \u015bl\u0105ski\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Two sheets of yeast dough with filling, crumb topping, dimensions, and the connection with weddings.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  11. \n

    Moje Wypieki contributor pawelus, \u201cMakowiec z kratk\u0105 na kruchym spodzie\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The contributor’s own lattice version. The order of prebaking, marmalade, filling and strips of dough. A technical example of one household’s version.<\/p>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Makowiec is a Polish cake made with poppy seeds. In the typical rolled form, a sweet yeast dough is rolled out thin, spread with a filling of ground poppy seeds and rolled up. The cut surface shows lines of pale dough and swirls of near-black filling. When the top is coated with white icing, a single slice brings together the brown baked crust, the white top and the dark center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7360,"menu_order":160,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Makowiec","subtitle":"Black poppy seeds rolled into swirls of thin dough","topics":"Grinding the seeds fine into a dense filling\uff0fRolling up thin yeast dough\uff0fSwirls sliced at the celebration table","country":"Poland","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["seed"],"texture":["moist","chewy"],"occasion":["christmas","easter"],"method":["baked","fermented"],"season":["year-round"]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[166],"class_list":["post-8389","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t