Krakow obwarzanek honored with a postage stamp
A new postage stamp from the "Polish Regional Products" series debuted on July 27, 2022. This time, the Polish Post honored the well-known obwarzanek (pretzel), produced in Kraków and the surrounding area, the capital of the Małopolska region.
This year's stamp is a continuation of the "Polish Regional Products" series, launched almost a decade ago. In subsequent years, Poczta Polska has presented a variety of products and goods (confectionery, meat, fruit) from various parts of Poland. The issue promotes Poland and certified Polish regional products, registered and protected by the European Commission and included on the "Protected Geographical Indication" list of products maintained by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. A distinctive feature of the series is the stamp printing using a dry embossing technique, which gives the product depicted on the stamp a three-dimensional appearance. Furthermore, an essential element of the design is the "Protected Geographical Indication" certificate logo. This distinction emphasizes the connection between a specific geographical region and the product's name, but especially the product's quality, reputation, or other unique characteristic associated with its place of origin.
" The series of stamps featuring regional products, launched in 2013, was intended to spread knowledge about fantastic Polish products. It's fulfilling its purpose perfectly, as each stamp in this series is eagerly awaited. The Krakow obwarzanek, available on a postage stamp, will now globally promote the uniqueness and culinary diversity of Polish regions. Just as the Kashubian strawberry, Łąck apple, Korycin cheese, Kurpie honey, St. Martin's croissant, and Galician garlic have done on stamps so far, " says Wiesław Włodek, Vice President of Poczta Polska.
A Krakow obwarzanek is a baked product resembling a ring, an oval, or less commonly a regular circle, made from a braid of dough with a hole in the center. Each such baked product has a different shape due to the hand-processing and shaping of the dough. Krakow obwarzanek has been known since the 14th century and is currently baked daily. Recipes have been passed down orally from generation to generation by bakers in Krakow and the surrounding area. The name of the pastry derives from its production method – obwarznia, or the process of overcooking the dough – and the tradition of baking and eating obwarzanek during Lent, cultivated in this area. Along with the Lajkonik (Lajkonik), the trumpeter, the bugle call from St. Mary's Tower, and the Wawel Dragon, the Krakow obwarzanek is one of Krakow's most recognizable symbols.
About the stamp:
Designer: Agnieszka Sancewicz
Number of stamps: 1
Value: PLN 8
Circulation: 144,000 pcs.
Printing technique: offset + dry embossing
Stamp format: 43 x 31.25 mm
Paper: fluorescent
Sales sheet: 9 stamps
Date of introduction into circulation: July 27, 2022