February 2, 2021 – According to the Ministry of Culture and Media's decision, the traditional dessert samoborska kremsnita, as well as the transfer of skills, practices, and traditions of confectionery, has received the status of an intangible cultural good. It will be inscribed in the Register of Protected Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia.
As reported from the City of Samobor, the most popular local dessert, samoborska kremšnita, is now legally protected as an autochthonous Samobor and Croatian brand. As of January 18, 2021, samoborska kremšnita wears the title of intangible cultural property of Croatia.
As the Ministry explained, this dessert made of puff pastry and whipped egg cream is known by various names and variants in Central and Mediterranean countries. One of the most famous in Croatia comes from Samobor.
The original recipe was created in the 1920s by confectioner Đuro Lukačić, who prepared them until 1966, after which he assisted in their making. Two confectioners, Višnja Vukmanović and Branka Žganjer transferred the original recipe and knowledge to Kavana Livadić and the pastry shop "U prolazu," which are also holders of the intangible cultural property.
Samobor / Donatella Pauković
The tradition of making samoborska kremšnita is cherished in these pastry shops to this day so that this foamy dessert is enjoyed by many visitors, guests, tourists, excursionists, and mountaineers.
The queen of all cakes is how she is called in Samobor. Samoborska kremsnita is one of the symbols and the first association with Samobor in Croatia and abroad. It's a dessert that encourages people to visit. It is almost unthinkable to visit Samobor and not taste a nice light yellowish cream between the crispy puff pastry.
Sometimes, you must wait in line for samoborska kremšnita, but that is fine. It is brought home as a souvenir from Samobor, even if it has cooled down on the way.
There are several recipes for this cake, but samoborska kremšnita is unique because of its preparation and the Samobor ambiance that should be enjoyed while eating it.
The samoborska kremšnita is truly an exceptional dessert worthy of admiration. It also testifies that it was, along with popular Croatian cake mađarica, recently declared one of the 100 most popular cakes in the world according to the TasteAtlas portal, taking 84th place on their list.
Samoborska kremšnita enjoyed in one of Samobor's pastry shops / Donatella Pauković
However, samoborska kremšnita is not the first dessert from the Samobor area that received this title. Namely, a salty cake originating from the village of Ruda near Samobor named rudarska greblica was also declared a protected intangible cultural good. According to tradition, this cake used to be prepared back in the 16th century when mining flourished in Rude. Their wives made this cake for local miners. The "Days of Rudarska Greblica" event has been held in the village of Rude for years.
Since it is impossible to travel and taste traditional dishes of different destinations due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, you can always try to make samoborska kremšnita yourself at home. Of course, nothing can replace a visit to Samobor and tasting traditional kremšnita in the ambiance of this beautiful medieval town, but until we can do it again, use your time to try this recipe.
