Međimurska bidra

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Međimurska bidra is a traditional cake originating from Međimurje. The cake is made with a combination of flour, milk, yeast, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, walnuts, and vanilla. The dough is rolled and cut into rectangles which are topped with a combination of ground walnuts, warm milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. The filling should have a spreadable consistency. Once assembled, the dough is rolled into a log which is then coiled into a snail-like shape and placed into a round baking dish. Before it's baked, međimurska bidra is traditionally brushed with egg wash and lukewarm water with sugar. The cake is served on Christmas Eve, but it's cut and eaten on December 26, St. Stephen's Day. Its shape symbolizes the king's crown and it's believed that the cake was inspired by a traditional Christian song Narodil nam se kralj nebeski .