Pinca (also pogača, sirnica or pinza) is a traditional

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

n and Bay of Kotor Easter

sweet roll A sweet roll or sweet bun refers to any of a number of sweet, baked, yeast-leavened breakfast or dessert foods. They may contain spices, nuts, candied fruits, etc., and are often glazed or topped with icing. Compared to regular bread dough, ...

. It is also popular in the Goriška region of Slovenia, the

Slovenian Littoral The Slovene Littoral ( sl, Primorska, ; it, Litorale; german: Küstenland) is one of the five traditional regions of Slovenia. Its name recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possessions on the upper Ad ...

, western Croatia and in parts of the

Province of Trieste The Province of Trieste ( it, Provincia di Trieste, sl, Tržaška pokrajina; fur, provinzia di Triest) was a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Trieste. It had an are ...

and Gorizia of Italy.

Description

It is a sweet bread loaf with the sign of a cross, which is carved in with a knife before baking, on the upper side.

Usage

Pinca is eaten to celebrate the end of

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

, because it contains many eggs. Together with Easter eggs, pinca has remained the centrepiece of the family Easter breakfast in areas where it is eaten. In urban areas it is increasingly the only item taken to Easter Mass for blessing, and is often given to guests as a symbol of good wishes.

External links

Pinca on Istrianet.org
Croatian cuisine Montenegrin cuisine Slovenian desserts Croatian desserts Easter bread Yeast breads {{Italy-dessert-stub