Saint Martin Croissants are unique local croissants for St Martin feast with white poppy-seed filling. They are traditionally baked in Poznan and some regions of Greater Poland on 11 November. On that day we celebrate not only St. Martins Day but also Polish Independence Day and although St Martin Croissants tradition existed long before Poland regained its independce, nowadays it’s mainly associated with this holiday. Tradition of baking St Martin Croissants in Poznan reaches back to 1891. This is when the priest of St Martin’s parish – Jan Lewicki – appealed to the faithful to do something for the poor (as their patron St Martin did). Jozef Melzer, local pastry maker, to treat them with crescent shaped pastries filled with white poppy-seeds and almond. The wealthy people were buiyng it in the bakeries and the poor received it for free. In next years other bakers picked up on the idea and this i show the tradition was born. In 2008 Saint Martin croissant was entered into the European Union’s protected list of regional products.
