Pryanik (ะััะฝะธะบ), commonly described as โRussian gingerbreadโ or โRussian spice cookies,โ is a sweet bread or cookie flavored with spices and sometimes filled with jam, sweetened condensed milk, or caramelized milk. Spices used can include cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cumin, and anise, but recipes can vary fairly widely and many Russian regions have specific Pryanikย recipes and forms that are beloved local traditions.
Why Itโs Called โPryanikโ
(ะะพัะตะผั ะพะฝะธ ะฝะพััั ัะฐะบะพะต ะฝะฐะทะฒะฐะฝะธะต?)
When the precursor of pryanik was first baked in the 9th century, it was made with rye-flour, honey and berry-juice, and known simply as โะผะตะดะพะฒัะน ั ะปะตะฑโ (honey bread). It was only in the 12th-13th century, when Russian trade with the Middle East and India first began, that spices were added, bringing the recipe closer to the gingerbread recipe that had been enjoyed in Western Europe since at least the 11th century.
Gradually, the smell and taste of the spices came to characterize the bread, and recipes featuring spices became the prevalent form of the food by the 15th century. However, it was only in the 17th and the name โะผะตะดะพะฒัะน ั ะปะตะฑโ was replaced with โpryanik,โ which comes from the root word โะฟััะฝะพััั,โ meaning โspices.โ
Interestingly, this shift in name came at the same as Russia was pushing its borders and influence further south and securing positions along the Silk Road โ the trade route that long supported commerce between Europe and the Orient. Among other things, Russiaโs expansion into the route gave it increased access to silk, porcelain, and, of course, spices.
However, while pryanik became widespread in Russia, the use of spices did not, so it remains a fairly unique taste in Russian cuisine. Perhaps because of this, it has also found its way into a vast array of โะฟะพัะปะพะฒะธัั ะธ ะฟะพะณะพะฒะพัะบะธโ (proverbs and sayings).
For example, Russians often use โะบะฝัั ะธ ะฟััะฝะธะบ,โ (literally: whip and pryanik) where an English speaker might use โstick and carrot.โ When Russian peasants first heard of the quote โlet them eat cake,โ they apparently phrased it as โั ะปะตะฑะฐ ะฝะต ััะฐะฝะตั, ะฑัะดะตะผ ะฟััะฝะธะบะธ ะตัััโ (there will be no bread, but we will eat Pryanik).
If someone wouldnโt do something for a million dollars, you might say that ยซะธ ะฟััะฝะธะบะพะผ ะฝะต ะทะฐะผะฐะฝะธััยป (you couldnโt tempt (the person) even with Pryanikะบ). If something is music to your ears in English, in Russian it is ยซะบะฐะบ ะฟััะฝะธะบ ะฒ ัั ะตยป (like pryanikย in your ear). Someone can tell you to give yourself a pat on the back by telling you to ยซะบัะฟะธ ัะตะฑะต ะฟััะฝะธะบยป (buy yourself ะฟััะฝะธะบ).
Even the harder lessons in life can be shown with pryanik.ย For example, ยซะฑะตะท ัะฐะฑะพัั ะฟััะฝะธะบะพะฒ ะฝะต ะบัะฟะธััยป (you canโt buy a pryanikย without working) tells us that we must work for what we want. ยซะะพะผะฐะตััั ะบะฐะบ ะดะตัะตะฒัะน ะฟััะฝะธะบยป is what you might say about someone who can never give in when arguing (as a cheap pryanikย is often more like a brick than a cookie). However, sometimes that is how the cookie crumbles.
Pryanik can be baked as a larger loaf, or as smaller cookies, in which case the plural โะฟััะฝะธะบะธโ is usually used to describe them.
When and How to Eat Pryanik
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพ ะตััั ะฟััะฝะธะบ?)
Pryanik, like most sweet things, were once baked only for special occasions. There is record that pagans in some parts of Russia once baked honey bread or pryanik in the shape of birds or animals and hung the cookies off of trees on certain holidays. This tradition lives on in certain northern areas of Russia and Scandinavian countries with gingerbread ornaments baked for Christmas trees (ัะปะบะธ).
According to Russian TV program ยซะะฐะปะธะปะตะพยป, pryanik was used in the past as a marriage proposal: A young man would offer a lady a pryanik as an indication of his love. If she accepted the pryanik, wedding bells would ring!
Today, ะฟััะฝะธะบ is mass-produced and is served most often as a snack with tea or coffee. However, it can still signify a special occasion. For example, one cannot go to the Russian city of โะขัะปะฐโ (Tula) without bringing back a fresh โััะปััะบะธะน ะฟััะฝะธะบโ (Tulskii pryanik), renowned for its elaborate embossed patterns and messages. In fact, probably no city takes its pryanikย more seriously than ะขัะปะฐ, which also has a whole museum dedicated to its tasty confections.
The tulskii pryanik and some other types of elaborate pryanik can be purchased at stores throughout the country and are sometimes used as โััะตะดะพะฑะฝัะต ะพัะบัััะบะธโ (edible cards), and presented to friends and family as gifts on holidays and celebrations. Interestingly, government officials in the Tula region once prepared a ballot box of their famous tulskii pryanik and presented it to the head of Russiaโs central elections commission when he visited there.
How to Prepare Pryanik
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพ ะณะพัะพะฒะธัั ะฟััะฝะธะบะธ?)
There are many types of pryanik, which can be differentiated just by their appearance. The normal, classic is simple in form โ round with a white glaze. โะะตัะฐัะฝัะต ะฟััะฝะธะบะธโ (printed pryaniks) are made with the help of wooden or metallic pastry molds. These include the Tulskii pryanik from Tula, and โะณะพัะพะดะตัะบะธะน ะฟััะฝะธะบโ (Gorodetskii pryanik) from Gorodets in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Other types of pryanik could be flat, shaped, or even molded and are often glazed or iced. As an example of the Christmas-tree pryanikย mentioned above, there is a specific type of pryanik from the Arkhangelsk and Olonets regions of Northern Russia known as โะบะพะทัะปะธโ (kozuli) or โะปะตะฟะฝัะต ะฟััะฝะธะบะธโ (molded pryanik). Coming from pagan origins, their shapes depict the figures of animals, usually taking the form of a horse, which was a symbol of the sun and a guard against evil, or a deer, the protector and a symbol of the continuing cycle of life. Traditionally, they were made by molding the pryanik dough to form the 3D-shaped cookie, but some are baked in 2D shapes, and decorated with icing to paint the features of the animal. Today, kozuli are used as Christmas decorations, and as ornaments for the yuletide tree. Kozuli derive their name from the Russian word for โgoat,โ which was once a powerful symbol of fertility and which is still a common shape for the cookies to take.
There are many different styles of pryanik, and a myriad of recipes for each style. Feel free to tweak the amount and types of spices used to flavor the pryanik. Concentrated juice can be used to color the dough and glaze. Add nuts or berries to fillings if you so please. A true โะฟััะฝะธัะฝะธะบโย (pryanik bakers; this was once a full-time profession in Russia!) should have their own secret recipe.
Pryanik Recipes!
(ะะฐะฒะฐะน ะฟัะธะณะพัะพะฒะธะผ!)
See below for a free recipe for various Russian pryaniki. See also the free videos online. If you are interested in cooking from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and other places in Eurasia, make sure to see our full, free Eurasian Cookbook online! You might also be interested in the following specialized cookbooks weโve enjoyed:
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ะะพะผะฐัะฝะธะต ััะปััะบะธะต ะฟััะฝะธะบะธ | Home-made ััะปััะบะธะน ะฟััะฝะธะบ |
ะะฝะณัะตะดะธะตะฝัั ะดะปั ัะตััะฐ:
ะะฝะณัะตะดะธะตะฝัั ะดะปั ะณะปะฐะทััะธ:
ะกะฟะพัะพะฑ ะฟัะธะณะพัะพะฒะปะตะฝะธั:
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Ingredients for the dough:
Ingredients for the glaze:
Method:
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ะะพะทัะปะธ | Kozuli |
ะะฝะณัะตะดะธะตะฝัั ะดะปั ัะตััะฐ:
ะะฝะณัะตะดะธะตะฝัั ะดะปั ะณะปะฐะทััะธ:
ะัะธะณะพัะพะฒะปะตะฝะธะต
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Ingredients for the dough:
Ingredients for the glaze:
Preparation
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Our Favorite Videos about Pryanik
Make a pryanik cake with Russian celebrity chef Alexander Seleznev. He offers lots of good pointers for making a truly tasty pryanik.
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Observe the making of a mass-produced pryanikย with a range of toppings, designs, and fillings. This is promotional video for a Russian delicatessen chain called โะฃ ะะฐะปััะฐโ that can be found in many places in western Russia.
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โะะพะบัะพะฒัะบะธะน ะััะฝะธะบโ (Pokrovskii Pryanik) is a company from the city of Vladimir that specializes in making pryanik. This promotional video takes you into their bakery, and shows the different types of pryanik,ย and the various fillings used.
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This video from ยซะะฐะปะธะปะตะพยป, a television program on Russiaโs ะกะขะก channel, provides a great introduction to tulskii pryanik, from the origins of its name, to the processes in which the molds and pastry are made. The video gives an interesting glimpse into how the intricate molds are carved, and the pryanik baking process.
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