Obwarzanek krakowski is the salted ring bread Kraków's bakers have boiled, then baked, then sold from carts under royal privilege since 1496. Crisp crust, chewy crumb, sesame or poppy seed or salt on top.
A 1496 royal privilege from King Jan Olbracht granted Kraków's bakers exclusive rights to bake obwarzanek during Lent. The ring's name comes from the Polish 'obwarzać' (to par-boil). The dough is shaped into a ring, boiled briefly, then baked, giving it the same chewy crumb-and-crisp crust as a New York bagel (with which it shares a likely common ancestor in 17th-century Polish-Jewish baking). The EU registered the obwarzanek krakowski as a Protected Geographical Indication in 2010. About 150,000 rings leave Kraków's red-and-yellow carts every day; they cost 2 to 3 zl each.
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