I have hunted kolaches in Czechia and i learned two things. 1. They taste the same in Czechia as they do in Texas and 2. Czechs do not know they are so popular in Texas, but are pleasantly surprised to learn that they are.
Can confirm, I never knew they were so popular in Texas. I personally tend to not get these very often though, I tend to get our doughnuts (koblihy) way more often as a breakfast food along with a cappuccino on the go. But my fathers family has roots in the local culture around Beskydy mountains (Valašsko specifically) so Ive grown up eating frgále for most of my life. They are delicious but also definitely a calorie bomb so to speak, but if you ever visit this part of Moravia, I encourage you to try it (especially frgále with tvaroh).
@@nevermoreever2 Its a benefit of globalization in general, because when sicilians moved to work in Detroit, they didnt have their ingredients or ovens, so they had to resort to what was available and Detroit style pizza was born. Now, you have access to more stuff, so immigrants can bring their culture with them to new places and teach others about their methods.
Okay, I knew that koláče/kolaches were popular in Texas but I had no idea that they were *this* popular. This was so heartwarming for my little Czech heart!
A Texas-Czech family moved to Utah and started a Kolache shop in Provo (they have other locations now too). It has a line around the block every day, they do small batches so that every Kolache is fresh from the oven. They open at 6am and close when they run out.
I’m born and raised Houston. I had no idea Kolaches were a Texan thing till I was an adult. I think I ate a Sausage, cheese, jalapeño kolache every morning in highschool
My family immigrated from the Czech Republic to Caldwell, Texas in the late 1800s. In Caldwell every year there is a Kolache festival. During the festival there is a kolache baking competition as well as shops set up around the town square selling food and all kinds of things. Thats how popular kolaches are here in Texas!
Just a little correction... your family immigrated from Kingdom of Bohemia (officialy Lands of the crown of Bohemia) which was part of Austrian empire that time in late 1800s and not from Czech Republic which exists from 1993. 🙂
Never knew that Texans loved them. Heck, never even knew they made them! Greetings from Czechia, Ethan! Thanks for the video. PS: Very difficult to make them better than grandma. Sorry.
We have a pretty large Czech-descendant population, especially in Central Texas and the Hill Country. They're a bit overshadowed by the German influence, but still prominent enough there are some towns with Czech heritage festivals.
the popularity is astounding. every donut shop, regardless of who runs it, makes and sells them. i would wager 99% of the people here don't even realize they are Czech because of how ubiquitous it is.
Howdy, there is a lot to love about the Chech who moved here and are an integral part of Texas culture....and families who are now Texans... hard working good food, etc....
As a Texan, I’m loving the coverage of Kolaches/Klobasniks. One version that if you’ve got the time you should look into is the cultural fusion seen predominantly (I assume as I can’t find them most other places as of now) is the Savory Kolache with a boudain/boudin filling seen on the borders of Texas and Louisiana. I see them a lot in the SETX (Beaumont/Houston) areas but not often outside of that region.
My best friend's wife is Czech, and I've been told that I MUST get my hands on some brinza (spelling?) cheese that is actually from there. Apparently, the N. American equivalents just do NOT cut it.
My mind is blown. Never would expect Slavic dishes in texas. In Poland, we would call them "drożdżówki" which means "Yeasties". Much love to both Czechs and Texans.
There are tons of Polish and German communities in Texas in addition to Czech. So much so that it really shaped Central Texas culture in a major way. There are even communities that speak unique dialects of Slavic and Germanic down till today.
Omg I didn't know our 'koláče' were so popular in Texas! Greetings from Czechia too. My favourite filling is plum preserve we call 'povidla' - be sure to try that if you get the chance. This video very much made my day.
The middle part of Texas has a strong German and Czech heritage, particularly towns like Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, Gruene, and West. Most German/Czech/Austrian-American culture was repressed in WWI and never really recovered (and what survived didn't make it through WWII), but some identifiable elements still live on in central Texas. Kolache are just as popular as he says they are around here. It's a neat part of living here! Ennis, Texas holds the National Polka Festival every year.
@@zaynelumpkin Chicago Czech American zde. Oh yes, the prune plum kolache are great. Taky mám ráda pivoňkové a višňové knedlíky. Bring on the vepro knedlo zelo and the svickova with žitný chléb a máslo.
Every donut shop I've ever been to in Texas had Kolaches. Three most common were regular sausage, sausage and cheese, and sausage and jalepenos. They are without fail delicious.
And almost all donut shops are run by Asian families so I never even associate kolaches with the Czech Republic. Also, I didn't know about sweet kolaches until I was an adult. It was all about sausage and cheese in DFW apparently.
Almost all the donut shop sausage ones seem to use “sausage” that is more like a hot dog than actual sausage. There are a few bakeries that use real sausage in them. The best one I have found is Green’s Sausage House outside of Temple TX. Their cream cheese kolaches are great too.
Its funny, because of here in Czech Republic we don´t have Koláče with saussage or cheese (except curd) or jalapeňos. Koláče here are sweet, not salty or sour. 🙂
@@dcs6500 The ones I've been to have both a cheaper hot dog version and a smoked sausage version. My favorite is the boudin version that some places in East Texas and parts of Louisiana sell.
To the Czechs coming in: Alot of you who came across the seas to here settled in Texas! The area around Corsicana through to Tyler is thick with Czech villages. We also have many German and Bavarian villages as well.
There's some variant on the name "kolache" that has spread over a massive section of the world. In Iran, we have a walnut + cinnamon stuffed butter pastry called a "koluche." It also exists in some form all over the Balkans, Caucasus, and a big chunk of Central Asia. Even the Punjabi bread called "kulcha" shares the same root. Can't wait to try this version!
@@davidpelcn Russian, there are many words with the same root. Kolco which means ring (jewelry), okolo which means at/around, okolica which means the edge of a place, koleso which means wheel, okolotok which means surroundings, okolesica which means nonsense, okolny why means roundabout, okolaczivatsja which means to hang around etc.
Thanks a lot for this episode! I knew Koláče were popular in some parts of the USA, but not to this degree. It’s cool it created its own culture like pizza or pastrami did. It’s interesting to see the savory variants. They are something that we actually eat as well, but we wouldn’t ever call it a koláč - we would just use the term for the dough along with the ingredients and type of cooking. So instead of the "klobasnik", we could call it "zapékaná klobása v těstíčku", or something along those lines, meaning baked sausage in dough. It's sort of interesting, that we often don't use the regular terms for food, but they're diminutive forms that make them sound smaller and cute - "těstíčko" vs "těsto" for dough, or "koláček" vs "koláč". One of the aspects of koláče you missed is their traditional wedding variants. They are literally called "svatební koláčky" (small wedding koláče) and they are usually just tiny variations of the bigger ones, that can be eaten in one bite. Usually they combine the cottage cheese and plum-jam filling with a slight sprinkle of nuts (walnuts, almonds) and sugar crumb on top. These are incredibly delicious when fresh and you can easily eat dozens without even knowing.
They're kind of a 'trendy' food here now! I was in Chicago recently, which never really had waves of Czech immigration en masse (but lots of Polish immigration!) and a ton of the local coffee shops were offering kolache from a local baker! Love the other info, i'm sure the wedding kolache are a treat! Thank you for sharing!
@@hannahc4266 "I was in Chicago recently, which never really had waves of Czech immigration en masse" - Lol. That's completely wrong, I mean, you couldn't be more wrong. Chicago had one of the biggest influx of Czech immigrants "en masse", going back to 19th century, Illinois is the second state with the biggest Czech-American population, making about 8% of the entire state population. One of the most famous majors of Chicago, czech born Anton Čermák, is revered to this day. Even Obama, who spent most of his early life there, spoke about him several times in official speeches.
@@samuelmahoney6878 OMG, YES! You have no idea how timely your comment is for me. I'm a Texan born and raised that's lived in Chicago for the past 13 years, and I'm moving to STL in 3 weeks.
I never knew they weren’t popular in the rest of the states until I traveled out of Texas. My family drives to visit family and we always stop to get koalches on the way down and back. They are absolutely fantastic
Greetings from czech republic, Im happy atleast something nice from our country is famous. Looks delicious and you made me go to a bakery and get one with a nice filter coffee!
I love this kind of food. Every culture on earth has invented their own version of this. Bao, empanadas, pasties, perogies, calzone, they are the perfect ideal that all sandwiches aspire to be.
As a former Texan. 20+ years and did not know their was a sweet version of this delicious snack that you can find at any donut shop. The whole time I just thought the sweet ones were danishes. You learn something new every day.
Yea it's super interesting. The first time I had one I assumed they were primarily a savory item, but the more I looked I realized the origin is the sweet ones!
Ha, my experience was the opposite. Growing up with a Czech great grandma, I had only ever had the sweet version she made (they were incredible). The first time I heard of a sausage & cheese kolache was when a friend mentioned getting them from Shipley donuts. I looked at him like he was an alien when he said "sausage & cheese kolache" lmao
My grandmother was from Czechia before it was called that. She came to Texas and the rest is history. A few years ago I started learning the Czech language and cooking goulashes and other foods. Thanks for the video.
Hey, if you want to put your guláš on next level, use onion skins (that dry stuff most people usually throw away, cook it and use it instead of plain water. Also, guláš is always better the next day, not fresh. Give it time to work that flavors and spices. This is our little family secrets to best guláš.
If you say your granny was from Czech lands (Czech lands are Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia), you never make a mistake doesn´t matter which historical period.😉
@@cualsyx we were under austrian rule and before we were part of the HRE as autonomus kingdom, all the time there was Bohemia (czechia), Moravia and Silesia, so it was always called like that thats his point, the regions existed all the time even tho they were part of a bigger non-czech unit
As a Texan I had no idea Kolaches were pretty isolated to Texas until College but I was not surprised to find out there was yet another thing that makes Texas better than the rest of the country
I screamed when I saw this! I’m from Houston, lived all over the US, and have missed savory kolaches SO MUCH. I basically survived off of sausage, cheese, and jalapeño kolaches during college. I used to just get them at my local donut shop! I haven’t been able to find them anywhere else in the US, as you said, and no one but people from Texas know what I’m even talking about. I’m definitely going to make a batch of savory kolaches next weekend to power my week. Thank you so much for this video! I miss Texas food so much.
My Texan/Czech grandmother made these for me every time I visited her. They were heavenly and such a good memory growing up. Thank you for covering them!
I'm in Iowa where kolaches are extremely popular due to the area's population with Czech and Slovak heritage. Had no idea this was a thing in Texas! A poppy seed kolache from the local bakery is a regular weekend treat for me.
In Romania we also have ,, colaci" (kolaches) but it's quite different from the one in Cehia, it's usually in a circle or ring shape,braided and topped with sesame seeds , it's a little sweet and it's usually served at funerals or Christmas Eve
If these are what you are referring to, I remember seeing them when I visited Romania, many years ago. Actually, 50 years ago. I saw, I shop windows, rings of bread, with a twist in the dough. Looked like a ring of rope. I’m not sure if I tried one; now I wish I had.
We have a similar thing in Poland called "kołacze" and your description matches too. I think the name comes from an old Slavic word but the product has evolved into something else in different parts of Eastern Europe.
My grandmother and mother made these in South Dakota. Grandma's father emigrated from Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Grandma made them as pastry squares, then brought the corners together and tied them over the filling, leaving openings to discern the homemade filling, apricot, prune or poppy-seed. Mom could never master the knot part and made them as open-faced rounds. I never before heard of savory ones.
Man, that brisket and green chile kolache might be the most central TX food you could make! Love it, and I love that out austin food culture is making a positive impression on you!
I’m a native Czech who grew up in Portland, Oregon… I remember hearing about the Kolače craze in Texas a while ago. This made me smile about it again. Thank you! Ps-it’s pronounced ‘cole aht sh.’
@@howtomakeyourlifeeasier It's not the most popular, but it certainly exists! I'd say 95%+ of the ones I've seen sold are savory varieties(some combination of sausage/cheese/jalapeño) or sweet varieties with fruit or cream cheese. I've seen everything from poppy seed to venison sold though, they vary a ton even store to store.
@@Ibegood oooh, interesting! In Czech republic, it's basically 100% sweet (and we call it koláče [:colaacze:]) so I think I'll give your version a try!!
As a native Houstonian, this video makes me so happy! I grew up only knowing a kolache for as a savory breakfast treat, and love sharing this piece of Texas culture with visitors.
Yes!! I went to school in Provo, Utah, which is for some reason a strange foodie hub, and we had multiple kolache places around there. When I graduated, I moved to Oregon and haven't seen any kolache places since. I've been missing these! Excited to try to make some of my own. :)
Nebraska has a Czech festival that features kolaches. This is a sample of Wilber, NE goods. Kolache, Caraway Rye Bread, & Czech Houska. The Savory ones are similar to the Latvian sausage rolls (Piragi). Great video.
Native Texan here. There's also a lot of German influence in Texas food. And I'd say the top 3 are: Barbecue, Chili and Chicken Fried Steak. I hope you enjoyed your visit!
I’m from West Texas and it’s so cool we made the video! Czech stop is a staple of my child hood/ teenage years and middle of the night runs are still made by me till this day! If anyone Czech is reading this, thank you! Your creations are very much appreciated 😂. Infuriates me when people post “kolaches” from big chains like Dunkin’ Donuts that’s just a cheap weenie thrown in bad bread but they wouldn’t understand.
I know this is old, but I love this video. Been living in East Texas most of my life. When I was 19, a friend and I got a huge trash bag of kolaches a bakery had leftover at close. We went on a 3 day roadtrip surviving off that unrefrigerated bag of deliciousness. It was beautiful.
Yes!! I love kolaches. I introduced my out-of-state husband to them, and now he goes out of his way to find some whenever we're on a roadtrip as a sort of tradition. Slovacek's is a required stop on the Austin - Dallas route for us. Brisket kolaches are my absolute favorite.
I'm Czech 🇨🇿, born in Canada. My mom made these ALL the time! Sweet breakfasts & lunches are normal in our culture. Hot Plum dumplings with freshly ground poppy seed/ icing suget, drizzled with hot melted butter is a taste sensation! My dad's favorite! Cheers! 😃🥂 from Niagara Falls, CANADA 🇨🇦
I live in Poland and see these everywhere, the sweet ones mainly. I always thought these were Polish. It's fascinating how food travels. Great episode.:)
We have the same buns in Poland, the round ones are called Kołacze (from their round shape), but generally they are called drożdżówki /droshjovky/, meaning a yeasted sweet bun with filling.
Texas has all sorts of pockets of well preserved cultures. I live in California and this is inspiring me to go make the pepperoni Swiss Kolache I used to eat at Dos Gatos in San Marcos. Thanks for the help!
Texas always had a significant German influence. I lived there for a while. It wasn't unheard of to drink Shiner Bock beer with a Kielbasa sausage wrapped in a flour tortilla in cities like Fredericksburg and Pflugerville.
Shiner was my mom's favorite beer. She was from Louisiana but spent a lot of her life in texas where she met my father, had me and ultimately passed. Once i left texas and discovered that Kolaches were almost exclusive to my state i died a little inside. I then started reading online and was rather surprised by the blended nature of texas culture that i never really thought about before.
Those are HUGE in Southern Louisiana as well. Every Donut shop makes them are they are awesome. Had no idea they were Czech. I guess I just assumed French for some reason. Great video
Im living in Canada and my Mom's side of the family is Czech, I haven't had these things since my grandma got sick back in like 2008... Thanks for reviving this lost treat for me Ethan! My wife and I are 1000000% going to be trying this out! I had not idea they were popular in Texas of all places
This type of filled yeast bread is very popular in Brazil as well. The most common fillings are hot dog and cheese, ham and cheese, pizza (ham, cheese, tomato and oregano), a burger patty with cheese, shredded chicken with catupiry cheese, cheese only. We don't have sweet versions that I recall. I love that I can find something so close to home here in Texas. Thank you for sharing the history on them!
These are all over Chicago and New York. I eat them all the time. They are super common. Even the grocery store across the street from me sells their own and gas stations do as well.
My (adult) son has been chasing kolaches for years. There was a place in the area we used to take the kids when they were young, and it was something he loved so much. I just sent him this video, and I know he’s going to end up making these, possibly today even. Thanks for this, and for all your content! (I made the pasta sauce with the cornstarch gel this last week, and I’m doing it again this week. 😂)
My wife's family is from West and a good portion of them still live there. On my first holiday family trip there it was a must to stop before and after. Before we took kolaches to the gathering. After was to bring them back for all of our family, friends, neighbors and coworkers to enjoy. I did not realize these wonderful pastries were as popular as they are. Thank you for your video, it was very informative.
Kolache are made in Central Europe (again) but the story how they got to Texas and stayed is very interesting. When it comes to the savory version, in Slovakia we traditionally make from the same dough "posuch". It is basically pizza (well, pizza is yeast dough without milk) with traditional topings such as bacon and careaway seeds, sour cream and dill, ... Klobasniki sound like there is a Polish influence. Just a bit of etymology. Great story from the New World.
Ethan, As a Czech Texan, my only comment is that I'm not used to seeing them as flat as the versions you made here. We pack a dozen to a pan and they come out as yummy pillows of goodness. Also best fillings are either cottage cheese or prune!
As a Czech, I'm the opposite - if you say koláč, I definitely expect something very flat. The sweet one Ethan made could easily pass as a prime example of a koláč here.
I'm assuming we call those "Honzovy buchty" (Johns cakes) in Czech Republic. It's the same dough but you make them in a bunch crowded together, filled with something sweet.
I first encountered these a couple years ago while working for a few months in southern TX, and I’ve missed them ever since. I never thought about trying to make them at home, but now I will have to try!
Great video Ethan. Thanks for showing love to this little known Texas treat. I even grew up in DFW and I didn’t really know much about them until I went to college further south.
I had no idea these were a Texas thing! Grew up just on the other side of the LA/TX border and have fond memories of getting these from local donut places growing up.
My mother is Czech, my brother and I used to beg her to make us these all the time, she loves baking but she's not a fan of baking same thing twice in row, so we only got to eat these few times a year, but when she did make them, she'd make 2-3 kilos of those, and my brother and I would exclusively live off these and water for couple of days. Only ever had plum jam and cottage cheese ones though, I never knew there are other different types, I am happy to learn that they are popular elsewhere.
Very cool and informative episode, but also much respect to the paper towel method of applying egg wash! Thanks for showing that not every home chef has to have all the various single-use kitchen tools like pastry brushes.
My great great grandparents migrated to TX back in 1887 from Moravia. Grandfather learned Czech in his farm home (along with his 13 brothers and sisters). Texas had a HUGE Czech wave of immigration in the late 1800s, and their impact endures in a lot of foods-- sausage, beer, pickles. I always find it amusing that so many folks seem oblivious to this fantastic bit of history.
And "kolache" is a round pastry. "Klobasniky" is what a lot of people call a kolache (or pig in a blanket) but Grandpa would pitch a fit whenever he heard a klobasniky called a kolache. "WRONG! Wrong wrong wrong!" 🤣
As a life-long Texan I approve this video. The Czech Stop in West, TX makes the best kolaches! I have driven from Austin multiple times just get some (about a 2 hours drive). I have eaten these things since I was in grade school (1970's). Back then I had no idea they were Czech.
The best kolaches I've ever eaten are from Green's Sausage House in Zabcikville (near Temple.) The kolaches from West and Snook might be more authentic I don't know, but Green's are much better. And if you're driving from Austin they'll be an hour closer :D
Kolaches aren’t hugely popular here in Utah, but there are three kolache bakeries within a few mile radius. I’ve grabbed one on my way to work every Monday for the last year or so
We in Austria love them as well, we call them "Golatschen". You can get them at most bakeries, normally they are closed and filled with a sweet cottage cheese and rasins filling. A little tip: if you use this dough, do the exact same thing like you did at 8:38 and then deep fry it without filling them (idealy in clarified butter) you get a "Kiachl" or also called "Bauernkrapfen". These are a delicacy of Bavaria and Tyrol. If you want a savory version you top them with cooked sauerkraut or if you want it sweet you top them with cranberry jam and a little bit of powdered sugar. You need to try that out, it is so good!
Native Texan here who moved to NYC a while back. Brooklyn Kolache has introduced kolaches to the folks up here and it's wonderful. Def recommend to anyone in NYC craving kolaches.
My wife and I grew up in Houston and live in south Florida now. We miss getting them at Kolache Factory. Now that I have the recipe, I'm going to start making these at home
been binging your channel for the last few days. something about your channel has reignited my love of cooking, which I havent had since high school. maybe its that cracking moustache 🤣 thanks for the great content!
I live right next to a Lone Star Kolaches and I love showing them off to my Spanish-speaking Twitch audience in Spain and LATAM lol It's such a neat little piece of culinary history :D I'm gonna have to try this recipe, thanks Ethan
Love to see you cover this part of Texas food culture that's practically a way of life here, but is unkown outside of the state. A visit to the doughnut shop is incomplete without a few savory kolaches as well!
Wow, I am from Czech Republic and I have never heard that "koláče" are so popular and Texas. Also I am little bit suprised about look of salty version even thought we make salty pastry too, however differently. Thank you for this video. In some bigger cities in CZ, there is now also new versions of "koláče" - kroláč. That is shape, look and filling of "koláč" but it is made from croissant dough. Therefore it is kind of similar to cronut and inspired also by France.
Eckrich-brand “SMOK-Y Breakfast Sausage” can be used to make the “donut shop”-style klobasnek. It has the right shape, size, and flavor! Most HEBs here in Texas carry it.
We have a lot of rural Czech communities here in Nebraska too. You can go to Prague or Wilber and find plenty of people around speaking Czech and selling kolaches
I was extremely surprised for him to say he's never seen these anywhere else- basically every bakery and convenience store I've seen in Nebraska has kolaches for sale. Clarkson has a good bakery too!
Thank you Ethan. My world just expanded. Meat pies, empanadas, kolaches. I will try your recipe with Filipino breakfast meats -- garlic longganisa, beef tapa, chix tocino. 🥰🇵🇭
I grew up in Texas with my grandmother making homemade sweet kolaches back in the '60s! We loved them so much! It wasn't until I was an adult that I ever had a savory sausage kolache, and of course I fell in love with those as well!
oh its kolacze , ye theyre great here in poland too but the savoury ones are rare, with the most common ones here being the same as the czech ones aka cheese, poppy and a jam
I'm glad at least one other person had the same thought that I did. I'm familiar with Kolache from living in Oklahoma, but I also made Polish kolaczki cookies growing up. You can see the similarities in the sweet version.
It's so weird to think of these I in Texas! I grew up in a Czech community in SE Oregon and they made these. I loved them! Didn't know about the Czech immigrants to Texas
another czech subscriber here:-). dont worry about the pronounciation, Czech is really hard, with some extra letters compare to other languages (like for most impossible Ř). Happy to see our cuisine spreads a bit. From sweet pastries there is this trdelník you might want to try, perník, táč (koláč over the whole baking tray), from savory bramborák would be the leading dish.
