Pazinski Cukerančić Protected as Croatian Intangible Cultural Heritage

By the decision of the Croatian Ministry of Culture of December last year, the attribution of the intangible cultural heritage was awarded to the SKILL OF PREPARING THE TRADITIONAL PASTRY – PAZINSKI CUKERANČIĆ and as such it was included on the list of intangible cultural goods of the Republic of Croatia.

The protection of the pastry was initiated by LAG “Central Istria” on the idea of its’ member Davorka Šajina. Soon others joined in – The City of Pazin, Alida Vadanjel, Davor Šišović, Association of artisans Pazin, Ethnographic Museum of Istria, Reginex Ltd., and a working group was established. The working group began to meet in April 2015 and since then many activities have been conducted – research of available literature in collaboration with the Ethnographic Museum of Istria, field research to gather as much information as possible about the recipe and participation in numerous festivals and events.

The specificity of Pazinski cukerančić is in its recipe and ingredients such as the ammonia which is traditionally used instead of baking powder or baking soda and local wine of the Malvasia variety in which the baked pastry is being dipped into just before being sprinkled with sugar. Pazinski cukerančić is also distinguished by its interesting branched form. Though the lack of historical sources makes it impossible to determine for how long has the practice of preparing this pastry been known, we can assume that this tradition goes far back in the past and how this traditional dessert plays a very important role in the gastronomic culture of central Istria.

After the official protection, LAG “Central Istria” together with the associates is obliged to carry out protection measures, that is to encourage the preservation and promotion of the Pazinski Cukerančići and to share the art of its’ preparation to younger generations

As a beginning of the implementation of the mentioned protection measures, on January 19, 2018 LAG Central Istria held a presentation of the protected good where citizens had the chance to taste the pastry, see how it is made as well as share their recipes and the memories of the practice of preparing cukerančići in their families. Similar promotional activities are planned in the future as well.