Toruń and Aachen gingerbread, Genoese biscuits, Viennese waffles, Adjarian khachapuri, Riga Black Balsam - every region strives to attract tourists with its distinctive food brands. What can tourists try and bring back as a treat from Belarus? From Smorgon, it’s obvaranki.
The town of Smorgon is considered the birthplace of obvaranka. In the 17th century, the Radziwills founded a bear training school in the town of Smorgon, jokingly called "Smorgon Academy". The animal trainers, graduates of the school, used to give the bears crisp bread - obvaranki - as a treat. The recipe was simple: tight dough was made from flour and water, the sticks were scalded in boiling water and dried in the oven. Later, for the convenience of the trainers, the shape of the sticks changed - they began to be rolled into rings and worn around the neck on a string.
Soon, people tried obvaranki and began adding sugar, honey, molasses and poppy seeds to the dough. At the peak of its popularity, more than 30 private guilds were producing this treat in Smorgon.
Obvaranki are not included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of Belarus, but they can become a regional food brand. And also a geographical indication. For legal protection of geographical indications in the Republic of Belarus, follow this link: https://lexpatent.by/ip/geographical-indications
ave. Nezavisimosti, 56-302 Minsk, Belarus, 220005
mon-fr: 9.00 - 18.00
