Kozuli

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Kozuli are hard, heavily spiced cookies from the Russian North, especially associated with the Arkhangelsk region and Pomor culture. Modern Arkhangelsk kozuli are usually flat, cut into decorative shapes, and covered with brightly colored royal icing. Older Pomor kozuli are three-dimensional baked figures with a much simpler appearance. The exact age of kozuli is uncertain, and there is no firm evidence that they originated specifically in the twelfth century. The older Pomor form came before the flat decorated cookies now associated with Arkhangelsk. These early figures were made from rye-based dough and shaped by hand into animals such as goats, sheep, cows, and reindeer. They were closely connected with Christmas and carried symbolic meaning. Animal figures represented the livestock around the Christ Child in the Nativity scene and were also interpreted as “heavenly herds,” or clouds. The name kozuli is linked instead to a Pomor word meaning a curl or small snake, referring to the curved shapes found in older forms. Two main styles developed. Pomor kozuli, made in villages along the Tersky Coast of the Kola Peninsula, are three-dimensional ceremonial figures shaped by hand. Arkhangelsk kozuli are flat, cut-out pryaniki made with caramelized sugar and decorated with icing. The flat Arkhangelsk style appeared much later and is more than two centuries old rather than clearly traceable to the medieval period. Its development was connected with Arkhangelsk’s importance as a northern trading port. Greater access to sugar and imported spices helped transform the older ritual form into a sweeter and more heavily spiced cookie. European merchants living in Arkhangelsk also brought decorated Christmas gingerbread, which influenced the later cut-out style. The dough begins with zhzhyonka, a caramelized sugar syrup. White sugar is heated until it turns a deep amber-brown color, then hot water is carefully added to create a dark syrup. Butter, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and other spices are mixed into the warm liquid. Once the syrup has cooled, egg yolks and wheat flour are added to form a very stiff, dark dough. Recipes vary widely between families, and many have been passed down privately for decades. The dough is left in a cold place to rest before being rolled into thin sheets. Metal cutters or sharp knives are used to make shapes such as reindeer, goats, sheep, cows, birds, horses, stars, angels, Christmas trees, cats, and houses. The cookies are baked until firm and crisp. The caramelized sugar gives them their characteristic dark brown color and a mild burnt-caramel bitterness. Replacing the caramelized sugar with dark molasses or honey produces a softer, stickier dough with a different flavor and less of the characteristic burnt-sugar note. Honey is especially associated with versions made in the Urals, where kozuli were adopted from northern Pomor customs. The older three-dimensional rye-based Pomor figures are still made in some northern communities. These versions rely mainly on their sculpted shapes rather than elaborate icing and preserve the earlier ceremonial character of kozuli. Once the flat cookies have cooled, they are decorated with royal icing made from whipped egg whites and powdered sugar. White icing is common, but pink, blue, and other colors are also used. Natural coloring agents have also been used to create different shades. The icing is piped directly onto the dark surface to outline the animals and add geometric or decorative details. The decorated cookies are then left undisturbed for several hours until the icing becomes completely hard. Kozuli were originally associated especially with Christmas, while modern versions are also made for Kolyada and New Year celebrations, as well as weddings, housewarmings, and the birth of a child. They became symbols of Pomorye and are now found across much of the Russian North and in the Urals. The cookies have also been used as decorations and toys. In the Urals, baked figures were hung from Christmas trees with string, while animal-shaped kozuli could be kept in the home instead of being eaten immediately. They were regarded as protective objects and were not casually thrown away. Because the cookies are hard and dry, they are usually eaten in small pieces. Hot black tea helps soften the dense, heavily spiced crumb and dissolve the hardened sugar icing.