Cozonac

Cozonac, a tall sweet bread made from enriched yeast dough, is the king of festive desserts in Moldova — rich in eggs, milk and butter, scented with vanilla, lemon zest and rum. Tall, golden on top and with a soft, fragrant crumb, it is never absent from the Easter and Christmas table, the dish that crowns every family's holidays.

How it is made

The secret of a successful cozonac lies in the yeast dough, which demands time, warmth and patience. Good-quality flour is mixed with warm milk, yeast, egg yolks, sugar, butter and a pinch of salt, then kneaded at length until the dough becomes elastic and comes away from the hands. Thorough kneading, considered the key to success, produces the characteristic strands in the crumb. The dough is left to rise, sometimes more than once, until it doubles in volume.

After rising, the dough is rolled out and filled with various fillings: ground walnuts with sugar and cocoa, poppy seed, rahat, raisins or cocoa cream. The filled sheets are rolled up and plaited in pairs, then placed in lined tins and left to rise again until they fill the tin. Before baking, the cozonac is brushed with beaten egg to acquire its golden sheen, and sometimes sugar or walnut pieces are scattered on top. It is baked at a moderate heat — neither too fierce, so it does not burn, nor too low, so it does not stay underbaked — and the smell that fills the house is one of the best-loved signs of the holiday.

When it is eaten and its cultural role

Cozonac is deeply tied to the great Christian feasts. At Easter and Christmas no table is complete without it, and cooks compete to make theirs as tall and light as possible. In many families, kneading the cozonac has the air of a ritual: it is done in silence, away from draughts and noise, sometimes with prayers said inwardly so that the dough rises well and does not "sink".

Beyond its role as a festive dessert, cozonac is also a symbol of plenty and of giving. It is offered to guests, taken on visits and shared with loved ones, and is a fixture at memorial meals and at the tables that follow church services. Its warm aroma of vanilla and walnut is, for many Moldovans, the very smell of childhood and of celebration, evoking family gatherings around the table and the joy of the year's great days. A successful cozonac, tall and light, remains to this day the supreme proof of a cook's skill.