Cozonac

Cozonac(Romanian:[kozoˈnak]) orKozunak(Bulgarian:козунак[kozuˈnak]) is a sweet yeast dough that can be used to make different traditional holiday breads and cakes. Often mixed with raisins or nuts, it can be baked as a loaf or rolled out with fillings like poppy seed or walnuts.It is common throughout Southeastern Europe in countries such asRomania,Moldova,Bulgaria,Serbia,North MacedoniaandGreece. Rich in eggs, milk and butter, it is usually prepared forEasterin Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in Romania and Moldova it is also traditional forGood Friday, in a simplified version with vegan ingredients, without eggs or milk - named Cozonac de post -  to be eaten by Christians during lent. The name comes from theBulgarianword for hair-коса/kosa, orGreek:κοσωνάκι,romanized:kosōnáki, a diminutive form ofκοσώνα,kosṓna.
Cozonac was the sweet chosen to represent Romania in theCafé Europeinitiative of the Austrian presidency of theEuropean Union, onEurope Day2006.
InGreat Britain, the first recipe of "cozonac" appears in a cookbook in 1718, with the recommendation to be baked in long and narrow forms, a recommendation that remains valid nowadays. A similar Italian dessert, Panettone, whose recipe was shared and adapted in Eastern Europe following the Roman occupation, is often mentioned as a starting point for the cozonac.
Romanians added cocoa, rum, walnuts andTurkish delightto the composition, thus creating an original version of the dish, which was not to be missed from any Easter or Christmas table for hundreds of years and is widely recognised as a traditional dessert.
Today, this dessert with a long history is prepared mainly in southeastern European countries, especially in North Macedonia, Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria, where it is considered a traditional food.
Cozonacis a sweet bread, into whichmilk,yeast,eggs,sugar,butter, and other ingredients are mixed together and allowed to rise before baking. In Bulgaria, thekozunakis prepared by adding lemon zest to the dough mixture, just as the Romanian version.
In North Macedonia, the Macedonians for Easter traditionally bake a sweet bread called with sultanas and raisins in the shape of a girl's plated hair, a braid. That is why the name of this traditional Easter bread is derived from the Bulgarian word for hair-коса/kosa. There is also the straw plated mat Macedonians in the past used to lay on the ground to sleep upon called Rogozina or Ruguzina.
In Romania, the recipes for trimmings differ rather significantly between regions. The dough is essentially similar throughout the country; a plain sweet bread made fromflour, eggs, milk, butter, sugar and salt. Depending on the region, one may add to it any of the following:raisins, gratedorangeorlemonzest,walnutsorhazelnuts, andvanillaorrumflavor. Cozonac may be sprinkled withpoppy seedson top. Other styles dictate the use of a filling, usually a ground walnut mixture with ground poppy seeds, cocoa powder, rum essence, or raisins. The dough is rolled flat with a pin, the filling is spread and the whole is rolled back into a shape vaguely resembling a pinwheel. In the baked product, the filling forms a swirl adding to the character of the bread.
Cozonac is a sweet, egg-enriched bread, which is rooted in the cuisines ofWesternandCentral Asia.Examples of similar breads from other cultures includebadnji kruhinCroatian cuisine,folar de páscoainPortuguese cuisine,briochein French cuisine,kulichin Russian cuisine,panettonein Italian cuisine,hot cross bunin English cuisine,challahin Jewish cuisine,Shoreekin Egyptian cuisine, orstollenin German cuisine. Such rich brioche-like breads are also traditional in other countries, such as Hungary and the Czech Republic.