Starogrojski paprenjok

Paprenjok is the traditional biscuit of Stari Grad, the old town on the island of Hvar. The dough contains honey, olive oil, wheat flour, prošek (the sweet wine of Dalmatia), and spices such as cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. In Stari Grad this spice mix was called papor until the first half of the 20th century, and that is where the sweet’s name comes from.

The dough is shaped by hand or with molds into traditional figures like hearts, clovers, butterflies and horses, then decorated with lines and dots of sugar. The biscuit is dried and keeps for a long time.

The oldest written reference to paprenjok is in the poem 'Ribanje i ribarsko prigovaranje' by Petar Hektorović, written in 1556 and published in 1568. The poem describes a three-day fishing trip from Stari Grad to the island of Šolta, and among the provisions the biscuits are mentioned. According to tradition, the women of Stari Grad prepared them for the men departing on long sea voyages.

The craft of making starogrojski paprenjok has been inscribed on Croatia’s list of protected cultural goods since May 12, 2008, under number Z-3909. The biscuit is taken from Hvar as a souvenir and appears at the island’s festivals and weddings.