Trdelník is a traditional cake and sweet pastry, known from the Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary (under different name), originally probably coming from the Romanian Transylvania. It is made from rolled dough, wrapped around a stick then grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix. In Hungary it is known under the name of Kürtőskalács. Nowadays trdelník is gaining popularity as a sweet pastry in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and is very popular among tourists.
Its Slovak version Skalický trdelník is now registered as PGI (protected geographical indication) in the European Union.[1]
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The production of trdelník has a long tradition in the Slovak town of Skalica on the border with the Czech Republic. Earl József Gvadányi, a Hungarian general in retirement who was also a poet and philosopher, settled down in Skalica at the end of the 18th century. He employed a cook from Transylvania who brought the recipe for “trdelník“ and improved it into the final pastry nowadays known as Skalický trdelník.
The civil association Skalický trdelník was founded at the end of 2004 with the goal of keeping the tradition of the original open fire Trdelník production. The name "trdelnik" comes from trdlo, the wooden stake the cake is wrapped around for cooking which gives it its traditional hollow shape.