In an interview with Agerpres, Aurel Popescu, the president of Rompan, believes that this year the supply of „cozonaci” (traditional Romanian sweet bread) will exceed demand. This phenomenon is linked to a decrease in consumer spending due to the decline in purchasing power, despite the industry’s supply reaching the same figures as last year, around 7-7.5 million pieces. Encouraging news comes from exporters who have managed to increase „cozonac” sales by 10% in foreign markets:
„Out of the 7-7.5 million ‘cozonaci’ we produce during this period, almost 10% are destined for export, a significant percentage. We are present in all countries, not just those where Romanians live. For example, in England, people are accustomed to buying ‘cozonaci’ from the Romanian store,” added Popescu. On the market, „cozonaci” are offered for sale at prices ranging from 12 lei to 80 lei per kilogram, depending on the filling and weight.
The Romanian „cozonac” ranks second in a traditional Christmas bread top chart by Taste Atlas, as reported by România Liberă. This may explain the interest in this product in foreign markets. The top spot in this ranking goes to a product from the Czech Republic: Vánočka, traditionally prepared during Christmas with flavors of rum and lemon peel, raisins, and almonds. The name of this delicacy comes from the Czech word „Vánoce,” meaning Christmas, symbolizing, it is said, the baby Jesus placed in a manger. In third place is Pandoro, the traditional Christmas bread originating from Verona. Its name, derived from the Italian expression „pan d’oro,” meaning „golden bread,” refers to its yellow color, resulting from the generous use of egg yolks. Pandoro is traditionally baked in a special star-shaped mold and, unlike panettone, does not contain nuts or dried fruits. We have verified the information and found that on the respective website, the Romanian and Bulgarian „cozonac” is ranked 7th out of 79 in a top chart of sweet breads produced for various occasions. Preceding it are, in order: Tsoureki and Vasilopita (Greece), Brioche (France), Pan de Muerto (Mexico), Kardemommeboller (Sweden), and the aforementioned Czech Vánočka.
I appreciated, however, that the respective website organized reviews for some local producers of ‘cozonaci,’ and I believe it would be a good idea to mention their names here: Chocolat on Episcopiei Street in Bucharest, Victoria Confectionery on Mihalache Boulevard, Mama Cozonacilor from Bran, Cozonacul from Băcania Veche on Barbu Văcarescu, Claus Confectionery on Banu Manta, and La Farine on Șoseaua București Ploiești.
This year, a compendium of over 400 pages dedicated to traditional European breads was published by the prestigious Springer publishing house. It is a comprehensive work coordinated by university professors and researchers from food industry faculties across the continent. The Romanian region is represented by a chapter dedicated to ‘pască’ (Easter bread) and ‘cozonac,’ authored by Alexandru Rusu, Alexandra Moldovan, and Monica Trif. The focus of the work is predominantly on ‘pască’ and its variations in different regions. According to the authors, ‘cozonac’ is a symbol of the tomb where Jesus Christ was laid after being taken down from the Cross, and it is a traditional pastry baked only for important holidays such as Easter and Christmas.
Depending on the region, there are various types of fillings: cottage cheese, raisins, sour cream, walnuts and/or poppy seeds and/or cocoa. Sometimes it is even named after the region of origin, such as ‘cozonacul moldovenesc’ (Moldovan ‘cozonac’), ‘cozonacul din Bucovina’ (Bucovina ‘cozonac’), etc. The recipe proposed by the authors in this compendium for ‘cozonac’ is more of an illustrative nature, so I searched for a recipe that aligns closely with their intention but also provides sufficient information for practical application.
The recipe is part of the Recipe Book for Confectionery and Pastry Products edited by the Food Industry Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Trade exactly 60 years ago. The authors of the recipe book were Benone Lazăr, Constantin Gheorghiu, Ioan Mihai, and Constantin Popa.
