Sirnica… where’s the cheese?

Reason #111: tasty and sweet traditional Easter bread

Photo by I. Cvitanić, via braconline.com.hr

Sirnica (or pinca, as it’s called in some parts of Croatia) is a traditional sweet bread made and eaten at Easter, marking the end of Lent.

As a kid I used to wonder where the cheese was, as the word sirnica contains the word sir=cheese in Croatian.

Sirnica is made with eggs, flower, milk, butter and sugar –  no cheese.

You can buy a decent sirnica at the baker’s or the suprermarket these days, but some people still like to make their own. In fact, they even compete for the best sirnica on Brač, each year on Easter Monday.

Sirnice on display at the competition in Škrip. Photo by I. Cvitanić, via braconline.com.hr

This year Selca won first place. Yay!

Photos by V. Radmilović, via braconline.com.hr

Team Selca: Marina Jakšić, Ela Tonšić, Sandra and Marta Mančić… and, of course, their husbands ;)

More: sirnica/pinca on Wikipedia and photos at braconline.com.hr