How is it possible that St. Martin’s croissants are in Warsaw, since they are a regional product of Greater Poland, and what’s more, they are protected in the European Union under the Protected Designation of Origin, which means that for a St. Martin’s croissant to be a St. Martin’s croissant, it must be made in a specific area and by an entity that has undergone a certification procedure proving that it is made properly. For this to be the case, the croissants must be prepared in Greater Poland in one of 80 confectioneries or bakeries and physically brought to Warsaw.
The story related to the appearance of this product is cool, which indicates concern for neighbors and compatriots. Wealthy people bought these croissants and confectioners distributed them to the poor on the day of the city’s patron saint and the largest parish in Poznań, dedicated to St. Martin.
Most of us associate the St. Martin’s croissant with white poppy seeds and… well.
Why white poppy seeds?
The original recipe for the St. Martin’s croissant used marzipan, i.e. ground almonds with sugar. Due to the fact that in times happily long gone by when after World War II there was a shortage of almonds in our “wonderful” socialist country, almonds were replaced with white poppy seeds – a product available in countries befriended by the Socblok. Initially, white poppy seeds were imported from Egypt, and later our southern neighbors – the Czechs – supplied them to Poland. This year, one of the Poznań confectionery shops cooperating with us informed us that they have poppy seeds that are grown in our country!
For almost 18 years, from the second half of October to the beginning of December, we have been bringing St. Martin’s croissants to Warsaw, i.e. only those that have an appropriate certificate from the confectioners’ guild, so that the St. Martin’s croissants baked in the morning in Poznań around 8:30-9:00 on the same day are in our stores and the Specjały Regionalne restaurant and in stores cooperating with us, thanks to which Warsaw residents have the opportunity to buy them on the same day, and sometimes 4-5 hours after baking! We invite you.