Honey Slovak Bobalky- Christmas Eve Tradition

In Slovak houses, Christmas Eve is highly special. The first star to appear in the night sky marks the beginning of the evening. Candles are lit by the “woman of the home” when it’s time to pray. The apple is cut horizontally down the middle; an unbroken star represents good fortune.

Small slices of sweet bread known as bobaky are a traditional delicacy on the Christmas eve dinner table in many Slovak homes (bo-ball-kee). Boblaky is commonly served with ground poppy seeds and honey, although a savory variation with sauerkraut and onions is also available. They are either offered as a dish early in the dinner or consumed as dessert, depending on family customs that differ among towns and countries.

Then there are the oblátky, or Christmas wafers, which were historically made by the village’s schoolteacher or priest, but are now more commonly cooked commercially. They’re accompanied by honey and garlic, and then followed by bobalky.

Before having the supper on Velija or Christmas Eve and lighting the candles, the mother of the family would make a cross with honey on each of the family member’s forehead to protect against the evil. To start the meal off, they would dip a special wafer into honey with a garlic clove. The honey represented the sweetness of life and the good, with the health of the bees, and the garlic was symbolized to scare the bad spirits away. In some villages, the father would slice an apple for all the people at the table. If a person seed was cut, it meant that they would die next year. The next food served was bobalky (also spelled bobalky, babalki, babalky). Up to Christmas Day, traditionally the Slovaks are fasting (St. Phillips Fast), so this supper does not include any meat or dairy products. This goes to say, instead of creamy butter and milk, most bakers substitute water in this recipe.

During other holiday seasons, such as the great Easter fast (lent), bobalky are commonly made.

Below is my favorite’s sacred recipe for honey bobalky:

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Dough Yeast

• 2 cups of water
• Pinch of salt
• 2/3 cups of vanilla sugar
• 5 tbsp of (canola) oil
• 2 active dry yeast packages
• 6 cups of flour

Glaze

• 1 cup of poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup of honey

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees farenheit.
2. Measure the flour and pour into a bowl.
3. Mix and disslove the yeast, with 1/2 cup of water and 1 teapsoon of sugar.
4. Boil the water, sugar, salt, and oil in a medium saucepan. Make sure it cools before incoperating it into the mix.
5. Gather a mixer and pour the dry ingredients, with the sugar-water mixture and yeast together. Stir and knead for 7 minutes by mixer, or 10 minutes by hand.
6. Let it rise for 5 minutes.
7. Knead by hand and roll it about an inch thick. Cut 1/2 inch apart to roll into small dough balls by hand.
8. Place to balls on a parchment baking sheet with the dough balls touching eachother. Do not leave any space.
9. Bake 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Make Glaze

1. Pull the bobalky apart.
2. Mix the honey and poppy seeds together and pour over the bobalky.
3. Serve!