Štramberské uši

Appearance & taste

Štramberské uši are baked from a round of dough 2 to 3 mm thick and 9.5 to 12 cm in diameter and rolled into a cone that imitates a human ear in simplified form. Their taste and aroma depend on the spices; spices with too strong a secondary flavour that would disturb the harmonious taste are not permitted.

The pastry is sold unfilled, usually five to ten pieces stacked inside one another in transparent bags, with a filling that keeps, or as a mixture for immediate consumption. A coloured panel on the packaging bears the words “Štramberské uši” with a short explanation of the origin of the pastry.

Production

The dough consists of fine flour, granulated sugar, whole eggs, water, baking powder, honey or caramel and the spices cinnamon, anise, cloves and star anise. No chemical additives other than baking powder are permitted. Eggs and sugar are beaten until frothy; the flour mixed with baking powder, water, spices and honey or caramel are added gradually.

The dough is shaped into an even round on the baking tray or rolled out, cut out and placed on the tray. After baking it is rolled into a cone while still hot. Once the “ears” have cooled, several are stacked inside one another and packed in transparent bags.

Origin & history

The area covers the town of Štramberk and its immediate surroundings. The legends about its origin go back to a Mongolian chronicle: in 1241 part of the Tatar armies besieged Štramberk castle, and the inhabitants fled to the castle or to Kotouč hill. In the night before Ascension Day the army drowned in a cloudburst. In the abandoned camp, sacks were found containing the ears that the Tatars had cut off Christians they had killed. In gratitude the inhabitants have made a pilgrimage up the Kotouč every year since then on the feast of the Ascension; Štramberské uši are sold today in memory of that time.

In the past the pastry was baked only for the annual Ascension procession; today it is also baked at other times. The recipe is passed down from generation to generation; according to the specification, there is no family in Štramberk that does not bake the ears, and neither the custom nor the legend exists in any other area. Since 1991 the town of Štramberk has held the protected trademark with which the producers mark their products; in 2000 the name was registered in the Czech Republic as a designation of origin.