Even if we think we don't need connections, we are all interdependent and, consciously or unconsciously, deeply connected all the time, through family, work, local community, etc. Even through shared memories.
Every time I bake a cake, I think of Majda, the bride's grandmother, who used to delight family and friends with her cakes on holidays. She remembered me a few times too. These little cakes tasted of love and smelled of affection and kindness. They were small and cute. When you cut into them, you knew what to expect. This was not a product of surprise, but the result of years of practice, drawing on a traditional family recipe and the experience of her ancestors. This walnut cake, a traditional Slovenian dessert, has left no one who has tasted it indifferent. When it was in front of me, I never limited myself to just one piece.
Majda was a very kind-hearted creature. An ant that never stood still. She enjoyed it most when she could make others happy with her actions. Whatever she had, she loved to share. When she began to suffer from serious health problems and could no longer work in the fields as she used to, she was all the more eager to bake bread, make sourdough quiches and many other things to make her family happy. Before the holidays, there was always a smell in her kitchen, which everyone in the house loved. When we say that it smells like the holidays, almost all Slovenians think of potica, that popular and cherished confection protected as a guaranteed traditional speciality of Slovenia.
According to her granddaughter Marjana, my daughter-in-law, on the day of the baking Majda kneaded the dough for at least 16 cakes, weighing just over half a kilo. She baked them in small round baking trays. She could put four in the oven at a time. Marjana remembers well the large pan in which her grandmother kneaded the dough, as well as the huge wooden rolling pin she used to knead, turn and toss the dough around the pan. The most important work was done by her hands, kneading the dough, mixing in lots of love and good wishes, and even more of both in the filling. It was always walnut.
The taste of devotion that binds family, neighbours, friends and relatives together stands out in a pot made with such devotion to tradition and with love for loved ones. This bonding role made Majda's cake something special, as it unites all of us who tasted it even after her untimely death. We often mention it in our conversations and marvel again and again at the exuberance with which the deceased approached this pre-holiday ritual.
Potica has been and remains a symbol of the bonding of generations. It is an important part of our cultural heritage, and Majda was well aware of this. Her granddaughter Marjana is trying to follow in her grandmother's footsteps. She bakes cakes according to her recipe and follows all her recommendations. She has set a very good example and she is grateful for it from the bottom of her heart. They say that the apple does not fall far from the tree, and in this case the saying is 100% true. The bride is doing a great job baking, with the help of her sons and husband. I am sure the story will continue for a long time to come.
Jerica Strle, 15 May 2025
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