Happy Almost Fat Thursday—Let’s Make Koblihy!
The Thursday of the Masopust (Mardi Gras/Carnival) celebrations is called Fat because of the tradition to cook meals rich in fat. On this holiday the households wake up to the smell of fried donuts koblihy, boží milosti, vdolky and roasted pork. Lunch is usually accompanied by beer to wash down all the grease.
Even though this holiday and its customs have been forgotten in many places, if one tradition persists, it’s making donuts.
—Czechology
Koblihy are pastries made from yeast dough, which are cooked by frying. The donut has the shape of a slightly flattened ball, usually with a fruit jam filling. Other filling options include pudding or nougat . It is fried in a thick layer of oil until dark golden, and is usually sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Děduška bless this dough,
Let it rise like mushrooms from the earth.
In the Czech environment, koblihy are mentioned in the late 14th century by Tomáš Štítný of Štítný in Řečy nedělních a svátacečních (chapter On Monday about Masopustě). In the German environment, they were recorded in the 16th century. In 1690, the Austrian Cäcilie Krapf fried them and sold them in her shop. They were filled with a fruit mixture.
I didn’t have an icing bag so I did my best.
About Kobližek is a traditional Czech fairy tale . The main character of the story is a revived doughnut named Kobližek. This fairy tale is not only known in Czech folklore, but in the entire East Slavic storytelling tradition, for example in Ukraine or Russia it is known under the name Kolobok, which is not served as a sweet, but rather as a bun.
Sourced from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.
As almost always, my recipe was from the amazing Petra who has done so much work (with the help of her son) to translate Czech recipes into English using ingredients more commonly available in the states. She even converts the measurements. So many of her recipes have become staples in our home. I hardly even look at my Czech cookbook anymore. She is friendly and active on Facebook.
Let's make Koblihy, the fluffy Czech donuts filled with jam! They are incredibly delicious and always disappear in no time. ➜ What are Kobli
