Covrigi are Romanian baked goods similar to
pretzels
A pretzel (), from German pronunciation, standard german: Breze(l) ( and French / Alsatian: ''Bretzel'') is a type of baked bread made from dough that is commonly shaped into a knot. The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical f ...
. They consist of salted
bread topped with
poppy seeds,
sesame seed
Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...
s or large salt grains. They do not usually contain any added sweeteners such as sugar.
Covrigi is the plural form of the
Romanian word covrig.
The word is a loanword from Bulgarian ''kovrig''.
[ ] Cognate words are found in other Slavic languages, e.g.
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
''kovriga'' (коврига) meaning "round bread" or ''
korovai
The korovai ( uk, коровай, russian: коровай before the 1956 reform), karavai (modern russian: каравай, be, каравай, orv, караваи), or kravai ( bg, кравай) is a traditional Bulgarian, Ukrainian, ...
''.
The
Old East Slavic ''kovriga'' is mentioned in the
Primary Chronicle under year 1074.
Its ultimate etymological origin is uncertain.
Covrigi are a popular snack food in urban areas of Romania and also as a holiday gift in rural areas. The city of
Buzău
The city of Buzău (formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu''; ) is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...
is known in Romania for its covrigi.
Although legend has it that covrigi were introduced by Greek merchants to
Buzău
The city of Buzău (formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu''; ) is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...
in the 19th century to increase consumption of their wine,
their similarity to German pretzels and to
sfințișori, another Romanian pastry, suggest a much earlier origin.
See also
*
Simit
Simit is a circular bread, typically encrusted with sesame seeds or, less commonly, poppy, flax or sunflower seeds, found across the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, and the Middle East. Simit's size, crunch, chewiness, and other character ...
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Covrigi
Romanian breads
Pretzels
Street food
ro:Covrig