Makówki

Outside Silesia

Makówki are also well known in Brandenburg and Berlin under the name Mohnpielen. Theodor Fontane in his travels through the Margraviate of Brandenburg wrote about Mohnpielen and other dishes.

A similar dish, but with slices of Kifli (Kipferl) in Hungary is called mákos guba.

In Poland, outside of the Silesia region, the dish is widely known as makiełki. This is particularly common in Poznań and in Łódź (Lodz), where Silesian migrants settled during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.

Preparation

The main ingredients are: sweet white bread and finely ground poppy seeds boiled in milk with butter. Other important ingredients include: dried fruit (figs, raisins, apricots, dates, etc.) almonds and other kinds of nuts (the choice of nuts and dried fruit varies). It is flavoured with sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and rum.

The bread is cut into thin slices and layered in a clay pot or more often into a glass or crystal bowl. After each layer, the sauce of the boiled poppy seeds, with flavouring and nuts, is poured so that the bread is well soaked. The top is decorated with some extra nuts and fruit. The dish is served cold, at least several hours after preparation.

Significance in Silesia

Silesian cuisine can be very conservative. The tradition of serving makówki/mohnkließla/mohnpielen is well maintained among Silesian peoples and it is difficult to imagine a Silesian Christmas without the dish. By the elders, it would be considered unorthodox to prepare it outside the Christmas—New Year period. Preparing makówki outside Silesia can be a difficult due to the unavailability of finely grounded poppy seed (a special mill is usually required). In the United States, canned poppy paste is sometimes commercially available and can be used.