Varaždinski klipič

Appearance & taste

The pastry has the shape of a stick, is at least 25 cm long and shows at least four folds on each side. The crust is unevenly coloured, from dark yellow to golden, smooth and firm on the outside. The white inside is soft and tender and interspersed with small, irregular holes that form as the dough rises.

The dough is crisp at first and then melts on the tongue. According to the specification, the cumin seeds sprinkled on top give a slight crunch that distinguishes it from similar small bread products. The taste is milky with a slightly sour note.

Production

The ingredients are fine wheat flour, milk, sunflower or vegetable oil, yeast, sugar and salt. The dough is kneaded by hand, rolled out, cut into strips and rolled into sticks; the right proportion of ingredients is essential. Before baking, each stick is brushed with egg and sprinkled with cumin seeds. All steps, from preparing the dough through shaping to baking, take place in Varaždin County.

Origin & history

The area covers the whole of Varaždin County, which borders Slovenia to the north-west. Its protection rests on the reputation of the pastry. According to the specification, the name and recipe first appeared in the 18th century. Originally housewives in the region baked the sticks by hand; later bakers also took up production, in a region where bread and pastries had been made commercially since the end of the 13th century. Today both housewives and bakers bake it.

The word “klip” appears in dictionaries as early as the 18th century and at the end of the 19th century referred to an ear of grain resembling a small stick; “klipič” is the diminutive. The Varaždin City Museum displays a handwritten invoice from 1916 according to which a baker received 10 crowns for 300 sticks. The pastry is mentioned in cookbooks, travel guides and newspaper articles, its preparation is taught in workshops in the county’s kindergartens, and in 2008 a children’s song was written about it.