So that long John post has me curious, where are you from and do you have kolaches in your region?
Posted by CaptainShaboigen@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 281 comments
Hey guys, native Arkansan here, hungry and curious.
We have these polish inspired pastries here called kolaches. I know they’re big in TX/OK and there’s even a festival for them. It’s a soft sweet bread with sausage in the middle. We even have them with boudin in them, which are amazing.
But I don’t think it’s common nationwide, so where are you from and do you like the kolache?
Mradyfist@reddit
Portland has Happy Sparrow, which I still have fond memories of even though they'd sell out at noon every day.
Sans_Seriphim@reddit
Only time I've ever seen them is on cooking shows.
AdTemporary7651@reddit
I’m from Richmond, VA, and now live in Baltimore, MD. I’ve never heard of them until this post.
Derplord4000@reddit
As a Californian who used to live in Washington, never heard of it.
kashikat@reddit
Utah and I adore kolaches! So good! Also I visited Texas for the first time a year ago and I was so excited to eat Texas kolaches.
kittawa@reddit
Up in Washington, I haven't seen them. But heard of them years back from a coworker from East Texas, so I was so excited when a local bakery started making savory sausage kolaches (with and without jalapeños). Unfortunately they closed down, so now I have to order some from Goldbelly or something similar, though they're mostly sweet options and haven't found many savory ones on there.
AlvinAluminum@reddit
I’ve found them in Seattle at a few donut shops (Dona Queen and Fluffy Donut)
DrBlankslate@reddit
Never heard of them. Los Angeles area.
Effective_Pear4760@reddit
Yes, I lived in the Chicago area for some years. My Czech great grandma would make the fruit ones for us.
montelius@reddit
Only have one place here in Boise that you can buy them. It’s a local donut shop owned by a family from Gainesville
cofeeholik75@reddit
Calif. Never heard of them, but now I want to try one.
Blue387@reddit
I think there's a place here in Brooklyn that serves kolaches, it's a small shop owned by a woman from Texas
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Spreading the kolache love! Thats awesome. Have you ever been?
Blue387@reddit
No, I have not. The place is called Brooklyn Kolache and it is in Bed-Stuy and I live in Bay Ridge
Arleare13@reddit
I’ve been. They’re fine, but I prefer Kings Kolache in Bushwick.
PopEnvironmental1335@reddit
The guy that owns Kings Kolache is from right outside Houston. As a fellow Houstonian, his are the best.
Background-Cod-7035@reddit
God I love NYC. I know where to go for Serbian-Croatian food and Russian and Ukrainian and Polish, but never before heard of kolaches and now discover two competing places.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
If you’ve never had a kolache I’d say it’s worth the trip.
pizzapartyjones@reddit
I’m a Tex-pat who lives upstate, and I wish there were places closer than NYC. I miss them. 😭
Solid_Parsley_@reddit
I'm in California, and while I have heard the word before, I have never seen or eaten kolaches. I don't know of anywhere that makes them.
niahpapaya@reddit
They are kind of like bierocks
Heavy_Calligrapher71@reddit
Weirdly you can buy them at Bad Bakers, a Filipino bakery chain in California.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Next time you’re in the Midwest go to a donut shop
joemoore38@reddit
I'm from Michigan and have the same experience. Heard of them but have never seen one. Not even sure what it is.
whiskeyprincess08@reddit
I'm from california. We dont have them here. But my great grandma was from czechoslovakia and lived in texas and when I visit my cousins there we get them and they're fantastic.
Neon_Gal@reddit
Lived in 5 states across the PT and MT timezones and have never heard of it
vita77@reddit
Grew up in Wisconsin. Kolaches were round pastries with a well of fruit or sweet cheese filling in the middle and lines of glaze on top. We didn’t have savory ones.
PapaTua@reddit
We have these in the Pacific Northwest West but we call them Danishes. Eg "hey, I call dibs on the last cheese Danish!"
Ok-Concert-6475@reddit
I'm also from the PNW. I've never seen a Danish with meat in them.
BoysenberryKind5599@reddit
We have those too, and those are "real" kolaches.
What happened in Texas, is we started using the one word, "kolache" to mean what you described and wear should be called klobasnek.
Donut shops sell little smoked sausages wrapped in bread and call them kolaches, even though the dough is different.
We just like that word, I guess.
Old_Promise2077@reddit
And sauerkraut, brisket, full turkey dinner, chicken enchilada, etc etc. all in a inside a "kolache". They're great
The_dots_eat_packman@reddit
The sauerkraut and sausage ones that Czech Stop makes are god tier.
TrashPandaNotACat@reddit
That sounds delicious! Especially with a mustard dip.
rattlehead44@reddit
Like a “Danish”?
sammyp99@reddit
Yes
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Okay so I’m having this discussion with my wife, the kolache you are referencing, it doesn’t have bread on top does it?
vita77@reddit
Nope!
https://www.cooklikeczechs.com/ceske-kolace-authentic-recipe-for-czech-kolache/
MathObserver@reddit
Thank you for the recipe link. We have a recipe from my grandmother (from a Bohemian region in Wisconsin), but it makes 7 dozen, which is a few more than we could handle at one time.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
I can still get down with that type too! I love sweet and savory breakfast delights!
Zizi_Tennenbaum@reddit
Texan and lifelong kolache enthusiast here! Before long someone gonna come in here and yap about how technically the meat ones are klobasnik, but even the most ardent Czexans will call both “kolaches” most of the time.
I think the jalapeño chorizo kolache is a beautiful expression of Texas culture; Mexican sausage and Czech dough melded into a perfect union.
Gyvon@reddit
Kolaches are what I miss most about Texas.
thenighttimegroup@reddit
Despite living in PA, a major Slavic stronghold, we still don't have kolaches 😭😭 I'm so glad I have family in Texas and can get a good jalapeño-sausage kolache once in a while...
(Although I think they're starting to trend nationally, I've been seeing freezer versions in Aldi recently! Will kolaches be the next big thing??)
Davmilasav@reddit
Not sure where you live but if you're near Beaver there's Cafe Kolache and their pastries are amazing!
ophaus@reddit
Poetry. Also, I'm suddenly hungry again.
ExternalHat6012@reddit
Fellow texan here just remember if they try to argue with you it's because they're not texan, and are desperately trying to validate the fact that not being Texan is a good thing.
Xistential0ne@reddit
I’m not Texan. If you spent anytime with me, you’d say “It’s a good thing HE’s not Texan” trust me. But I might have to come back for a visit and try a Kolache. Specially the Jalapeño chorizo one sounds deliscious.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Idk if that’s always the case, I think some people just like to argue bc they’re miserable and want you to be miserable too. I say they need more delicious kolaches in their life.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
I’ve never had that and it sounds heavenly. Would be killer with some scrambled eggs. And yeah I know there are some purists out there when it comes to the origin, I’m cool with everyone having their own opinion as long as I can still eat em.
LikeLexi@reddit
Fellow Arkansan here. These always throw me off because my grandmother makes the fruit filled ones so the meat filled ones just feel weird to me lol. Apricot ones are amazing.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
That sounds fabulous.
Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit
YUM!
Okiegolfer@reddit
That’s funny because my Czech friends rage when I call the meat one kolache. They make me fruit filled kolaches every year so they’ve won me over to their side.
___daddy69___@reddit
Never heard of that, is it related to goulash?
MISProf@reddit
I’ve seen them in Tn Mo and Ar
grunkle_dan78@reddit
Bierok(sp?) is what my mom calls them, and it's seasoned ground meat with cooked cabbage and onions. she was born in Oklahoma, and grew up in Kansas.
fetchmysmellingsalts@reddit
My grandpa's family immigrated from Hungary and we've spent a couple generations making kolaches in WA. Our version is a soft dough pinroll, or short tube shape, filled with sweetened hazelnuts. We dust the top with powdered sugar.
Recently, we've been trying batches with other types of nuts. Pecan is my favorite.
sapphireminds@reddit
Never heard of them until I moved to Texas, now I don't live there and miss them!
GrassRunner29@reddit
Ex-Texan here. Moved all over the country and really miss the kolache… last time I was passing through Orlando airport and was looking forward to their Aunty Ann’s pretzel dogs to satisfy my kolache craving… and they ran out of it 😭
FataMorganaForReal@reddit
East Coast/Mid Atlantic region, there's a Kolache Factory here. It's a chain.
Efficient_Wheel_6333@reddit
I've heard of them, but I wouldn't know where to find them in my area (Akron, Ohio is my county seat). There's a few places nearby that serve them, when I looked, but I've yet to have them.
msangieteacher@reddit
I love kolaches. Never had them til I moved to Texas. Now I live in Colorado and no one knows what they are.
Bubbly_Daikon_4620@reddit
Native Texan living in Oregon. We have a kolache bakery here owned by a woman from Central Texas. It’s decent. People here seem to enjoy them.
pgm123@reddit
I'm not from DC, but I live here. We've had a few attempts at "Texas style kolache." They seem pretty popular before they fail. But I got to try them.
GarageHelpful9514@reddit
I’m baffled kolaches are not offered at every donut shop across the country?? They’re delicious. - also a native Arkansan
GooseNYC@reddit
I looked it up. What I found look like what we call pigs in the blanket in my area.
OutrageousQuantity12@reddit
I’m in Texas. We have a big German/Chzeck population. So we have both kolaches and pig in a blankets that people call kolaches
McCausland8124@reddit
Washington state, never heard of it.
markshure@reddit
From the Chicago area. They are everywhere here.
Express-Educator4377@reddit
Southwest. Never heard of them
Heavy_Calligrapher71@reddit
I am in California and only knew what these were from my partner who is from OK and TX originally. Then we discovered you can buy them at a Filipino-American bakery chain called Bad Bakers here!
Ok_Buy_9703@reddit
Shipley Donuts has them in CO. They are good.
dealers_choice@reddit
Those are so good but no one sells them locally, northern indiana
anyavailible@reddit
I found them at the only Shirley’s in the area in Birmingham al.
OhThrowed@reddit
We've got a couple of kolaches places here in Utah.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Any unique flavor profiles?
Beagalltach@reddit
It's been years since I've been to Hruska's since I moved out of UT, but here is their menu. Apparently have added a Monte Cristo kolache after I left!
OhThrowed@reddit
Well, one of them is serving up a sausage and gravy kolache. It's delicious.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Gravy inside? Omg I’m gonna have to come to Utah
LuneJean@reddit
Kolache factory has a sausage and gravy kolache that’s to die for! Also a jalapeño popper that’s so jam packed with flavors!
Purplehopflower@reddit
Both of those are so good!
Exotic_Object@reddit
And the Maverik "bundles" are kolaches, too. But Hruska's are great!
loseunclecuntly@reddit
Southwest Wyoming.
Kolaches are very popular here because there is a large number of people from different Slavic (57 different nationalities settled here so just going for the broad umbrella)communities living in the area. Sweet kolaches, savory kolaches…there’s kolaches showing up at lots of places.
kalelopaka@reddit
Never heard of them where I live, Kentucky
AZJHawk@reddit
Yes, but they’re a pretty recent import from Texas.
thepineapplemen@reddit
I’ve seen them in Texas, northwest Louisiana I think, and technically in my home state but only at Buccees
PlantTechnical6625@reddit
STL - they’re here but I’ve never had one
drumzandice@reddit
Ohio, never heard of those
lisasimpsonfan@reddit
What part of Ohio are you from? Here in NE Ohio they are everywhere around Christmas. We only have the sweet kind with nuts or poppy seeds.
lisasimpsonfan@reddit
NE Ohio and our Kolache are sweet. They are filled with nuts or poppy seeds and very popular around Christmas. I am very intrigued by savory ones. I would love to try one but you can not find them around here.
DragonsFly4Me@reddit
When my son lived in Spring Texas, he took us to this place that had kolaches and they were absolutely amazing. I live in Florida and I don't think we have them here but I honestly have never checked. I will be finding out for certain and get us some!
Maleficent-Hawk-318@reddit
Never seen them in my home state of New Mexico, although I'm familiar with them from when I lived in Chicago for a bit.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Good to know they’re up in Chicago. But also Chicago seems like an all around sausage friendly area so not surprised.
anillop@reddit
With the number of Polish people in the Chicago area, it shouldn’t be a surprise at all
burndownthe_forest@reddit
In Chicago, have never heard of Kołaczki with sausage.
Also, based on some of the verbiage in here, I wonder if yours are Czech while ours are Polish?
Kołaczki are always filled with a fruit spread.
Maleficent-Hawk-318@reddit
I definitely saw them with sausage occasionally, but fruit was more common. I know when I lived in Downers Grove (which I know technically isn't Chicago but close enough) there was a little shop that sold ones with sausages just down the street from my house, although I didn't see it when I was visiting family in the area a few years ago so it might not be around anymore. I lived there like 15 years ago so it's been a minute.
I also lived in Oklahoma and never saw them there, though, so I suspect some of it is just hit-or-miss when it comes to personal experience.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Also very possible that it’s a regional part of the state as well. But also they’re sometimes sneaky and sold at random locations.
Maleficent-Hawk-318@reddit
Yeah, I was working on a ranch in a very rural area of OK when I lived there, so I assume the small town I went into most of the time just wasn't big on them. It was also before social media was really a thing, so I'd never heard that they were popular there, and I was only there for like a year so it wasn't like I became an expert on Oklahoma culture. And I had moved there pretty much straight from New Mexico, so I might have even seen places advertising them but not really remembered because I didn't know what the heck they were at the time, lol.
Lot of reasons I probably just didn't notice them, basically.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
I believe there’s some commingling of names and recipes here, but they’re all delicious.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
Breakfast burritos or tacos?
pizzapartyjones@reddit
I’ve had them in eastern New Mexico towns like Hobbs. I assume because of their proximity to Texas.
YoshiandAims@reddit
PA (eastern) YES.
morningtrain@reddit
Louisiana here. We have Boudin ones.
theoldman-1313@reddit
Central Texas here and kolaches are everywhere. Fun fact - this summer my family took a trip to Prague. We went to a breakfast buffet where they served fruit kolaches. They also had kielbasa which is the Czech word for sausage. I always thought that it was a brand of sausage, not just another word for sausage.
tussentweewindmolen@reddit
Kolache are not Polish, although I’m sure that’s what Shipley’s says. They’re Czech.
tussentweewindmolen@reddit
Czech koláče are also round pastries filled with fruit most commonly. What Shipley’s sells you as “Polish kolache” that look like pigs in a blanket are more like Czech klobásník.
pinniped90@reddit
Kansas.
We have a place, and they were a super popular office breakfast like 10-12 years ago. Vendors would bring them to us almost weekly
But I don't hear about them much anymore. I liked them when they were at the office but I don't go get them on my own.
OptatusCleary@reddit
I’m from California. My family moved here from the upper Midwest, and some of them were of Czech ancestry.
I’ve had kolaches (or kolacky, pronounced “coal ATCH key”) with Czech-American family members, but I’ve only rarely seen them at bakeries in my area, (and in those cases it seems to be due to Texas influence on the Central Valley more than direct Czech influence. I can tell from the fact that they are always the sausage type instead of with apricot or plum like I would usually expect.)
LemonSkye@reddit
New York. The only place I've ever seen the kolaches referred to here were frozen at Aldi, and almost certainly not authentic. What we have are kołaczki, a type of cookie with a cream cheese dough rolled around a sweet filling. Poppyseed are my favorite.
SecretlyPissed@reddit
We have kolachy which are a type of folded cookie filled with a fruit jam, usually apricot or raspberry, and we have kolachi which is type of nut roll or sometimes filled with poppyseed or occasionally fruit. Pittsburgh.
cdb03b@reddit
We have them here in Texas. Technically they are Koblasnik as Kolache traditionally refers to fruit filled versions. But we Anglos can't say that word easily so the immigrants called them both Kolache as they use the same dough. They are awesome.
condor31@reddit
North Louisiana and yes they are everywhere lol.
DesignerSeparate4166@reddit
fuck I think about kolache every day.
they aren't around my area in the north east.
TrashPandaNotACat@reddit
We always called them sausage rolls, but yeah, lots of places selling them under the two different names. Even have a place locally that mass produces the meat kolaches and sells them wholesale to restaurants and in freezer section of grocery stores and Costco.
Regigiformayor@reddit
Never heard of them in Pennsylvania
PC_Friar@reddit
Western PA and we have one Kolache shop. They have both sweet and savory ones.
Appropriate-Win3525@reddit
I'm from SWPA and despite not being of Eastern European descent grew up with the sweet kolaches. A lot of the local bakeries make them with apricot, nut, or cream cheese fillings. The cream cheese, although not traditional, is my favorite.
fleetiebelle@reddit
Where is there a kolache shop? I wasn't familiar with them before I moved to Pittsburgh, and I've only seen them with apricot, poppy seed, or other sweet fillings, unlike what the OP is describing.
PC_Friar@reddit
https://cafekolache.com
DoTheRightThing1953@reddit
I'm in north Georgia and I don't think most people around here have ever heard of kola he's. Too bad, they sound delicious
cohrt@reddit
never seen one for sale
cheekmo_52@reddit
Raised in the Chicago area. I’d have to find a Czech bakery to see if they have kolaches in this area, but the smaller kolacky cookies are pretty common here
cyvaquero@reddit
San Antonio, yes we have them.
PA, where I’m from? No. But we do have pierogies.
Jermcutsiron@reddit
Texan here, we love them.
Favorite spots to get them are Weikel's in La Grange or Brenham. (They now have locations in Hearn & Leander [outskirts of Austin] that I haven't been to)
RandomPaw@reddit
Kolaches are big in Chicago but we are more likely to eat the sweet ones (poppyseed, cheese, nuts, fruit) than savory. They call the savory ones “Texas style” and I’m my experience different places have them than the traditional Czech or Polish bakeries with the sweet ones.
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dsramsey@reddit
In Sothern California. Only place I know where’d to get them is from the chain, The Kolache Factory, so it’s definitely a specialty thing.
WesternTrail@reddit
When did the Kolache Factory get to California? I’m from LA and never saw them there.
dsramsey@reddit
There’s just a couple down here in Orange County - it just happens to be the case that one is in my neighborhood
WesternTrail@reddit
Do you know how long they’ve been there?
esk_209@reddit
I grew up in Oklahoma and had “sausage rolls” as a regular feature in every donut shop. I was truly shocked when I moved and realized they weren’t a thing everywhere!
sammyp99@reddit
When I was a kid, kolaches weren’t a thing in Arkansas. It’s something that has come here in the last 15-20 years
aloofman75@reddit
I’ve been to some of the places mentioned here, but I have never heard that word before. I’ve been aware of similar foods, but not that specific term.
Surprise_Fragrant@reddit
I only know of kolaches because of the donut store near me, Daylight Donuts (small chain of stores). Never had one before then, and I love them now.
Temporary_Linguist@reddit
Have a franchise kolache place in my town. Only place I have ever seen kolaches.
BernieTheDachshund@reddit
I live in Waco TX and they're available at several places, but if you drive 15 minutes to West, they have stores dedicated to kolaches and other Czech pastries/breads. My favorites are sausage w/cheese and cream cheese kolaches.
New_Dimension9110@reddit
Lived in Houston and savory kolaches are so prevalent and I would get the most amazing frozen ones at HEB. Moved to Tulsa in 2007 and no one had heard of them. It was sad 😢
pikkdogs@reddit
Never heard of them. From the northern Midwest.
Ash_The_Iguana@reddit
Lived in Louisiana for 14 years and kolaches were big there too. Moved to Maryland and no one knows what they are. I miss you my dear kolaches…
No-Present760@reddit
I'm from New England, never heard of them. I'm guessing they're like Gregg's sausage rolls in the uk? I watch a lot of British youtube.
MathObserver@reddit
I grew up in a Bohemian region of Wisconsin and the sweet (fruit, poppyseed) version was popular there. I even got my grandmother's recipe, but it makes 7 dozen, which is more than we can handle at a time.
sponge_welder@reddit
I only know about them via Buc-ee's. We used to have an American Kolache location in town, but it's closed now
Great video about the history of kolaches: https://youtu.be/fEpwmwOoWLw?si=B_dCRSnmw8jbcF6m
Separate-Relative-83@reddit
We don’t have them here in California when I am, but I had one when I was visiting Arkansas this summer and it was delicious!
MamaPajamaMama@reddit
Never heard of them until a place opened near me, in Colorado. They started out as a table in a few breweries and sold in coffee shops, and now have their own brick and mortar. I haven't tried them though.
rattlehead44@reddit
I had to look it up. There’s a very few places scattered around that have them, but they’re not really a thing out here unfortunately. I want some!
Karamist623@reddit
NJ here, and I’ve no idea what those are, or what boudin is.
Libertas_@reddit
I've never heard of them.
casapantalones@reddit
I grew up in Texas where kolaches are a staple. Now live on the west coast where they are rare.
SKULLDIVERGURL@reddit
kolaches do not exist in Florida as far as I can tell but in Wisconsin, definitely! First thing I do when I go back to Wisconsin is hit us a bakery then the grocery store for cheese.
Turbulent_Shoe8907@reddit
Ohioan, here. There’s a guy here in town who opened up a bakery AFTER he had a stroke and lost partial mobility on his right side that makes the absolute finest cookies I’ve ever tasted. He ALSO makes kolaches once or twice a week. His use locally sourced beef along with a little dill relish and cheese…so essentially a cheeseburger kolache. He’s got me hooked.
NemeanMiniLion@reddit
Lots of Czech folks in Eastern Iowa, and the national Czech museum..lots of kolaches. I'm not there but visit often.
andmen2015@reddit
Yes I’ve grown up eating them. My Czech grandmother made them for us. The sausage ones are not kolaches, they are Klobasnik.
ticklethycatastrophe@reddit
I had never heard of them growing up in Atlanta and Orlando. Got one for the first time after moving to Arkansas, and they’re very popular in Tulsa as well.
Excellent_Squirrel86@reddit
Those are Czech and more closely resemble an American Danish. Kolacki are Polish cookies.
Technical_Air6660@reddit
Colorado. A few places. But I moved here from Houston where they are like bagels in NYC.
achaedia@reddit
I’ve mostly seen them at Italian sausage places in North Denver.
kiwi619@reddit
There is one chain in Arizona that has a few locations in the grater Phoenix metro but honestly I probably wouldn’t have known about them if I didn’t live nearby.
BlackberryNo5962@reddit
Bar
reflectorvest@reddit
I’m not even sure how to pronounce that word, let alone find it anywhere I’ve lived
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Hard k and rhymes with Homer Simpson’s catch phrase, middle part is like la from the sound of music and chi is exactly the same sound as tai chi or kimchi.
Koh-laah-chi
Classic_Climate_951@reddit
Wow I thought they were pronounced Koh-Lash my Southern is showing lol
reflectorvest@reddit
Yeah literally never heard of them before, but we have fastnachts where I’m from so I’m not surprised
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
What in the world is that?
reflectorvest@reddit
It’s a pastry! Traditionally consumed on Fat Tuesday (we call it Fastnacht Day), the story says people needed a quick way to get rid of their sugar and lard before Lent, so they made sweet dough balls and fried them before dusting with sugar. You can sometimes get them from specialty bakeries during the year but every grocery store in southeastern/south central Pennsylvania will have them in stock in many varieties from mid January through Easter. I’ve never seen someone slice it like a sandwich though.
RoosterzRevenge@reddit
What part of Arkansas? I'm a born and raised Arkansan as well.
GlacierJewel@reddit
I’d never heard of them until I was in Utah and my sister introduced them to me. I love how they’re so portable and easy to eat! I’d love to start a kolache shop here if I had the money.
ramblingMess@reddit
I’ve seen both sweet and savory kolaches in Acadiana/southwest Louisiana pretty frequently, but they’re much more rare east of the Mississippi.
Classic_Climate_951@reddit
Around the Gulf Coast you can find the sausage wrapped in dough kind of Kolache, as well as the sweet pastries. It's not like the kind in Texas but I think it comes from Texans and is similar. I'm vegetarian so I love the Cream cheese and spinach kind from this gas station near Waco
DustOne7437@reddit
Sausage rolls in northern Oklahoma, the same thing is kolaches in southern Oklahoma. Either way, they’re great.
nemc222@reddit
Houston area and had a kolache this morning. A hot boudin kolache.
frisky_husky@reddit
They weren't really a common thing where I grew up, but my aunt is Slovak, so sometimes she would make them for Easter. They're exactly what I want in a sweet pastry. I make them at home once or twice a year.
Purplehopflower@reddit
So, I’m originally from IN and we have Kolache Factory there. However, those are more like Czech kolaches than Polish Kolaches. I’m of Polish descent and the Kolaches my Grandmother and Great Aunts made are more cookie like. So that’s what you’ll find at other bakeries and Eastern Churches.
Currently, I live in GA and the only place that has Kolaches is Buc-Ee’s.
Proper-Emu1558@reddit
Yeah, the ones I’m familiar with have poppy seeds, not sausage. (Minnesotan of Slovak descent here.)
cptjeff@reddit
Yeah, my dad's side of the family is Polish, and in that world it's a cookie/small pastry. Visiting Poland, bakeries had them for sale as halfway between cookie size and Danish size. It's our family's staple Christmas cookie, and we typically make poppyseed, almond, and apricot, all of which are traditional. Cherry is a common one too.
Use the recipie on the back of the solo pie filling label.
Purplehopflower@reddit
Yes, the solo pie fillings! But my family had their own dough recipe.
cptjeff@reddit
So do we, but it's a lot sticker than the solo one and a royal pain in the ass to deal with.
eccatameccata@reddit
I grew up in Iowa and they put prunes in ours. Delicious.
ebblur@reddit
Can confirm - Minnesotan and have only ever had apricot and poppy seed kolaches
HelenGonne@reddit
This. I grew up with the family kolache recipe, which is a small round-ish pastry with apricot filling. Or homemade orange marmalade if you can't get apricots. A cream cheese layer may or may not be involved.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Now this is some great insight and I will say that I may be incorrect with my polish history assumptions. But also intriguing that it is not out in Georgia. Makes me wonder how far east it has traveled like in TN/MS/AL.
snooper92@reddit
I’m in Georgia and our local coffee place sells kolaches, for what it’s worth!
Myteaisvodka@reddit
The biscuit and gravy Kolache from KF is my go to.
Oldy_VonMoldy@reddit
That sounds delicious. None here in MD.
aeriesfaeries@reddit
Chicagoland and absolutely, one of the staple desserts/pastries in our house growing up. Cheese, apricot, and blackberry were my favorite.
Ours were usually circular but I've also seen the other shape where it's a square with two corners folded in over the filling
DaughterofTarot@reddit
My grandmother was Czech and German and grew up in Central Texas in a little Eastern European community.
Homemade kolaches and klobasnicks were like, daily, part of my life growing up. She'd bake 2-3 dozen at a time, and give them all out to her kids and grandkids. Also for holidays we had them all the time!
It was a breakfast with milk as a kid and coffee as a teenager.
My favorite are poppyseed. And no storebought baker really makes these right. You have to hammer the poppyseeds out on like burlap or something and winnow off all the little hulls. Then you get this really creamy delicious filling.
Man, it's been like 25 years, but I sure do miss my Mee-ma's cooking!
PittsburghCar@reddit
Give me pączki, or give me death.
nor_cal_woolgrower@reddit
From NY now in California. Never had one, no idea what it is.
Nicky_the_Greek@reddit
Youngstown, Ohio, checking in. I've always spelled it kolachi, and you can find them at every home around Christmas and at most weddings.
mickeltee@reddit
Also Youngstown here. They’ve been on every cookie table at every wedding I’ve ever gone to.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Dude that is a perfect wedding food. Omg I need someone to bring this tradition down my way.
Nicky_the_Greek@reddit
Yeah, it's tradition here to have a cookie table at a wedding, complete with kolachi, pizzelles, buckeyes, peanut butter blossoms, etc. It's so ubiquitous that if you went to a wedding reception and they didn't have a cookie table, it would be strange.
prongslover77@reddit
Kolaches aren’t cookies though.
Nicky_the_Greek@reddit
TIL that there are different kinds of kolache. Here, that word pretty much exclusively refers to a rolled up pastry with a filling of nuts or apricots.
yellowsprings@reddit
Ha I moved to Austin from Pennsylvania and had to ask someone what that strange sausage pastry was on the Continental breakfast table. They said with surprise “oh, those are just kolaches!” And that didn’t help me because I’d never heard of them 🤣 Fast forward 11 years — we keep them in the freezer at my house, and my children eat them multiple times a week 😁
dwintaylor@reddit
I recently moved from Texas to Ohio and now that I can’t get Texas Kolaches I’m missing them so much. My favorite donut shop, (called Donuts) had a jalapeno and cheese one that I loved. I have friends coming to visit from the Dallas area and would love to hear everyone’s favorite frozen variety of Kolache. I’m hoping to get my friends to pick some up and “import” them up here for me
frozengal2013@reddit
Wisconsinite here, we do have kolaches, but I think they’re different from kolaches in the south. Here (and in Iowa) they’re a traditional Czech pastry kinda similar to danishes but less sweet.
Young_Bu11@reddit
Do not live there now but they have them in South AL, home of Conecuh Sausage...so good, if you haven't had it you're missing out.
JulsTiger10@reddit
Baton Rouge, Louisiana has Kolache Kitchen.
Penguin_Life_Now@reddit
We have them here in western Louisiana, but given I could literally walk to Texas from where I live in a few (ok several) hours, that is not saying much.
lngfellow45@reddit
Milwaukee - never heard of them
malibuklw@reddit
My and no kolaches. But we lived just north of Dallas, Tx for about seven years and I probably had them at least twice a month.
Kolaches and breakfast quesadillas are the only things I miss about Texas. Oh and fresh made in store tortillas.
UltraShadowArbiter@reddit
Western PA.
To my knowledge, we don't have them here.
Repulsive-Machine-25@reddit
Never heard of a kolache. Born and raised in the South, but have lived in the Northeast, West and Northern Midwest.
RedRedBettie@reddit
I'm from WA/CA and currently live in OR but I lived in TX for a decade and loved the kolaches, I miss them!
WashuOtaku@reddit
I'm from the Carolinas and I just had to look it up online to see what it was because I honestly never heard of it before. They look like danishes, just smaller. So for the Southeast or Mid-Atlantic, I would say no.
WesternTrail@reddit
Originally from Los Angeles, never heard of kolaches until I moved to Austin, and didn’t know how to pronounce them for some months after.
Antisirch@reddit
I was so disappointed the first time I went to TX and learned that their version of “kolache” was savory. My great-grandma was Polish and when I was a kid, she made kolache that were filled with either apricot or poppyseeds.
CinemaSideBySides@reddit
Reminds me of when I had someone online try to tell me haluski doesn't have noodles in it and I was clearly insane.
Well, I paraphrase, but it's interesting how many regional variations there can be of one dish throughout the US as immigrants spread out.
bestray06@reddit
These are the ones I am familiar with growing up in Iowa
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
If we’re being honest it’s probably just because advertising a klobasnik didn’t have the same zing as kolache. But I’m here to learn all the flavors and want to start cooking them all!
bethlabeth@reddit
We have sweet fruit-filled ones too! Most bakeries I’ve been to have both. Texans tend to throw the word “kolache” around a little loosely tbh.
Adorable-East-2276@reddit
It’s not “too loosely”. It’s just what that word means in Texan English
Huskerschu@reddit
Nebraska yes
Special-Insect4262@reddit
Someone just opened a kolache place here (northeast IN). They have both sweet and savory varieties. Never heard of them prior to a few weeks ago.
cottoncandymandy@reddit
I get mine from the same Asian store I get my long John's from lol. They have a jalapeño and chesse one thats super good.
Ol_Man_J@reddit
I can find savory Kolaches in both Oregon and Idaho. But they are not common, the two places I can go get them are owned by Texans.
stu17@reddit
I’ve never heard of them, but looks like a few restaurants near me sell them. Sounds good, I’ll have to try one.
tcrhs@reddit
I’ve never heard of a kolache.
RabbitNumber8@reddit
NJ and MD and no! I’m pretty disappointed because that sounds amazing.
MegaTreeSeed@reddit
Georgia, and kind of. Local gas stations sell things called kolaches, but I don't know how accurate you could consider them.
But they are delicious and trigger a gall-bladder attack every time I eat them, so I got that going for me.
sociablezealot@reddit
Arizona/Colorado, never heard this word before.
onlyforanswers@reddit
Chicago! I'm not Slavic at all, but I grew up eating them.
SkidmrkSteve@reddit
In Kansas and just had a store dedicated to them, I have yet to try them because every time I go they are completely sold out!
sneezhousing@reddit
Ohio never heard of it
Otherwisefantastic@reddit
Fellow Arkansan. I love the jalapeño ones the best. I love getting donuts and kolaches.
DrunkUranus@reddit
Oh yes. My two great grandmothers had STRONG WORDS about how to make them-- I've inherited both Czech and Polish style kolaches
silverwolfe@reddit
Not common here in the PNW but we do have them.
SusanLFlores@reddit
I’m a native Chicagon and they are cookies here. The dough has cream cheese in it and a dab of fruit in the middle with a corner of the dough pulled over the top of the fruit. Popped in the oven and powered sugar on top.
PapaJuja@reddit
I went to DFW a few years ago, and my buddy introduced me to these for the first time. Stuff wrapped in bread is dope. I think the closest thing that we have to contribute to this in AZ that we invented here is the chimichanga. Obviously not the same. I would live to see sausage rolls and hand pies take off here in the States. I think kolaches are the closest thing to that that we have? I think kolaches would do well here in AZ though.
Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit
I'd never heard of them until my son moved to Dallas about four years ago and he brought some home.
SufficientProject273@reddit
MS. First time hearing of them.
Outrageous-Proof4630@reddit
I’m a Texan living in Arkansas and I wanna know you pronounce kolache.
KJHagen@reddit
We're pretty sparsely populated here in Montana, but we have had a lot of Eastern European immigration over the years. I would guess that a lot of families have hand-me-down recipes for kolaches going back one hundred years or more, but I doubt you can find them in a restaurant.
My wife is an immigrant from Czechoslovakia, so we have our own recipe at home.
kingchik@reddit
Yes, we have a huge Polish community in Chicago.
grrgrrtigergrr@reddit
Yep. If anyone asks does somewhere in the US have Polish (anything) the answer will always include Chicago … and we’re so lucky for it.
Mental_Freedom_1648@reddit
Do you guys do Dyngus Day?
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
What in tarnation is dyngus day?
Mental_Freedom_1648@reddit
Basically a day to celebrate Polish-American heritage. It's big in WNY.
https://www.dyngusday.com/
MyUsername2459@reddit
I'd never heard of them until a couple of years ago, when the convenience store chain RaceTrac expanded into the area, and they have them in their hot food section along with things like empanadas, burgers, wings, and pizza.
My first thought when seeing them in the food section was "pigs in a blanket". . .because when I was little my mother made things out of hot dogs and canned crescent roll dough that looked like that, but they labeled them kolaches, and I see people talking about that name on here.
SirTwitchALot@reddit
I've seen them when I've traveled down that way. Never heard of them growing up in Michigan. I wouldn't even know where to get one around here
round_a_squared@reddit
Me either, despite the Detroit area having a decent sized Polish population. I have to wonder if folks who do have Kolach in their region also have Paczi?
SirTwitchALot@reddit
I'm Polish. They're Czech food, not polish
round_a_squared@reddit
Ahh. OP suggested they were Polish.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
What’s a paczi? Some other delicious sweet or savory bread?
round_a_squared@reddit
It's a filled donut made with a yeasted dough, where some alcohol is added to the dough to prevent the frying oil from penetrating too deeply. Around here they're traditionally served for Fat Tuesday.
Amazing_Wolf_1653@reddit
Same! Someone told me I’m not midwestern enough because I didn’t know what a Kolache was. Oh, I’m plenty midwestern.
Ok-Sport-5528@reddit
No, but we have pierogies here in PA. Not pastries, but also of polish origin.
Arleare13@reddit
They’re definitely not a “native” dish here, but we do have a few kolache places in NYC.
Annihilator_Of_Walls@reddit
A what? From what I’m reading, I’m definitely missing out on
WiseQuarter3250@reddit
first, what do you mean by kolaches? I ask because most folks erroneously use that term for sausage rolls (which are klobasniks). Kolaches are typically paired with fruit.
I'm from Texas, where the food came to us from early Czech settlers.
lavasca@reddit
California. No. These sound like the rolls you can get at 85 degrees.
Ravenclaw79@reddit
I’ve heard the word, but I couldn’t tell you what they are
Embarrassed_Pin_6505@reddit
California and no, I don’t recall seeing them.
bigoldgeek@reddit
We spell it kolachky in Chicago mainly though I've seen kolachki and kolaczki.
Mental_Freedom_1648@reddit
I don't think those have made it to my part of NY yet. We have paczki though.
FormerlyDK@reddit
I’m from NY. I’ve never heard of kolaches or boudin.
No-Type119@reddit
Michigan; and, why, yes we do… lots if Czech/ other Slavic people in our area. Apricot kolaches are awesome!
TheOkaySolution@reddit
You can find kolaches in St Louis. They are more of a local novelty than a staple. As long as it has been decades since your last deliciously legit kolache, they are passably okay.
I really miss the millionty hole-in-the-wall kolache shops around the Houston Metro.
SabresBills69@reddit
Buffalo and Chicago have large polish immigrants populations. Back in the 70s/80s polish leaders would come to both cities when they were here for DC/UN visit.
Only Warsaw had more poles than Buffalo and Chicago.
wagowop@reddit
They are called kolaches in Wisconsin.
Ix_fromBetelgeuse7@reddit
I've heard of kolaches but never a meat filling, they're always sweet. My Czech grandma made what she called kolaches that had either poppy seed or prune filling.
Worth-Weather-5437@reddit
Texan here kolaches are so good. You always have to make sure you stop in West Texas while driving through.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Texas does a lot of meat really well.
TuttiFlutiePanist@reddit
Cedar Rapids, IA has a large Czech population (and the National Czech and Slovak Museum). There is even a kolache festival. However, kolaches here are sweet.
RaptorRex787@reddit
Never heard of a kolache. From utah
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Go find one! Another guy said they do exist in mormanlandia.
Prechrchet@reddit
Grew up in Georgia, lives in Florida, never heard of them before.
TsundereLoliDragon@reddit
I never even heard of these until I saw someone mention them on YouTube a few years ago. Kind of wish we had them though. Same with Australian/British Sausage Rolls.
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
Yes all the sausage rolls!
Academic_Profile5930@reddit
In Nebraska we have Czech kolaches which are a sweet bread circle with different flavors of jam type fillings placed in a depression in the center. They're about the size of a donut.
Adorable-East-2276@reddit
Grew up in Texas, where they’re a road trip essential. I have a few friends who bake them commercially
tsukiii@reddit
Not a thing in California. I’ve heard about them from Texans, and I’m sure there’s a few spots here selling them, but they aren’t widespread.
Nameless_American@reddit
Never heard of this in New Jersey, which is a shame because they sound fuckin’ lit.
RonMcKelvey@reddit
Czech inspired. I think the Polish version has a different name. And technically the Czech version with sausage would be klobasnek while kolache would have fruit filling.
But yeah, from Texas, always a stop in West on the way to the cotton bowl. Here in NC it isn’t a thing.
jdmiller82@reddit
Texas, and yes we have (and love) kolaches
shikawgo@reddit
I never saw them growing up (northern Illinois) and don’t recognize them from my years of living in Chicago but I didn’t live in a Polish heavy neighborhood nor do I eat meat.
Pączki on the other hand … those are a treat.
lainiezensane@reddit
Alabama- I live in the (contentiously) largest/ one of the largest metro areas, and we have one pastry chain that sells them. They are delicious. The ham and cheese is my fave.
forwardobserver90@reddit
Chicago has a ton of polish food, including kolache.
RedditHoss@reddit
Token Texan checking in. They’re everywhere and we love them.
nomuggle@reddit
I’m from Philly and we don’t have them here. I definitely looked for them after visiting family in Texas and having them though. If I missed a place in this area, someone please let me know!
CaptainShaboigen@reddit (OP)
I’m okay with this post being a nationwide kolache locator if we get the traction! Start asking for them at donut shops!