Medenki

 

Medenki are very popular honey cookies in Bulgaria. The name "Medenki" comes from the Bulgarian word "мед" (med), which means honey. These cookies are an integral part of Christmas celebrations although they are currently enjoyed all year round.

The Bulgarians are a South Slavic people whose Indo-European language - like English or Spanish - is written in Cyrillic just like Russian or Serbian. The predominant religion in the country is Orthodox Christianity, although there is a significant Muslim community around the city of Varna, generally of Turkish origin.

However, the origin of the Bulgarians is not Slavic. It seems that its origin would be located in the area of the Black Sea steppes or perhaps in present-day Kazakhstan, something that is not clear given its nomadic character at that time. The name is also unclear as the theory that "Bulgarian" was related to the name of the river "Volga" has tended to disappear over time. It is possible that the Bulgarians had a direct relationship with the Huns, either as allies or displaced from their lands by them, and that initially their physical appearance was that of any Turkic people, that is, with predominantly slanted eyes and mixed genomes of East and West.

What is known with certainty is that they appear in history books around the 5th century as nomadic tribes that devastated the Eastern Roman Empire, which was later called Byzantium.

During the following centuries they abandoned nomadism to found an Empire in the Balkans that put the Byzantine Empire in serious trouble. During those centuries, the progressive Slavization of the invaders took place, who abandoned their original language - related to Hungarian - to speak what would later be called Bulgarian. Somewhat later they were converted to the Christian faith from Byzantium, with which they took the Cyrillic alphabet and definitively integrated into the Western world.

Despite the Asian cultural origin, it is currently almost impossible to see any Bulgarians with Asian appearance, the majority being indistinguishable from other South Slavs such as Serbs or Croats.

As in other Orthodox Christian countries, Christmas is a big holiday but slightly less important than Easter.

INGREDIENTS:

• 200 g (7 oz) honey
• 100 g  (3.5 oz) sugar
• 100 g (3.5 oz) lard
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 kg (2.2 lb) of flour (approximately)
• Ground spices to taste (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, although only cinnamon is usually added)

In a saucepan, heat the honey, sugar and butter until they melt and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add the baking soda to the honey mixture. Then, we add the egg and spices to taste. We mix well.

Gradually add the sifted flour until you obtain a dough that does not stick to your hands. The amount of flour can vary, so add it little by little until it no longer supports any more.

We preheat the oven to 180°C (356 F).

We spread the dough on a floured surface, about half a centimeter thick (0.2 inches), and use molds to cut the cookies into different shapes.

We place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake them for about 10-12 minutes or until golden. This may vary depending on the thickness they have been given.

We let it cool before serving. 

They are very popular because they are very tasty. In Bulgaria they are sold in any bakery, store or supermarket, some dipped in chocolate or with nuts, being available all year round. Nobody could wait till next Christmas to taste them again !