Pardubický perník

Perník is the Czech honey cake: a dough of flour, honey and sugar flavored with spices such as cinnamon, clove, coriander and anise. Pardubice, in Eastern Bohemia, is the city most associated with it, to the point of being called the honey-cake city.

The tradition of perník makers in Pardubice goes back to the 16th century. In the time of Vojtěch of Pernštejn, a street in the town was already called Perníkářská, after the perník makers. National fame came later, around the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, when production industrialized and several factories were established in the city.

In 2004, producers founded the Pardubický perník association to defend the traditional recipe and methods, and in 2008 the European Union registered the name as a protected geographical indication: honey cake with that name is made in Pardubice and its surroundings, following rules on ingredients and preparation.

There are two main forms. The filled honey cakes, cut into pieces and coated with chocolate or icing, are sold across the country. The hand-decorated ones, shaped as hearts, figures and little houses with fine white-icing designs, are a traditional gift, especially at Christmas.

Near the city, at the foot of Kunětická hora, a honey-cake museum tells the history of the craft and displays decorated pieces from contests around the country.