St. Martin’s croissant originated in Poznań, Poland.
Known in Polish as rogal świętomarciński, the pastry is traditionally prepared in Poznań and parts of the Greater Poland region for St. Martin’s Day on November 11. It is a crescent-shaped pastry filled with white poppy seeds, sugar, nuts, raisins and other ingredients, then coated with icing and sprinkled with nuts.
The tradition is older than the popular origin legend. The oldest known advertisement for the pastry appeared in Poznań in 1860. A later account says that in November 1891, parish priest Jan Lewicki urged worshippers to help the poor, and confectioner Józef Melzer persuaded his employer to revive the local custom. Wealthier residents bought the pastries and some were distributed to people in need.
The name and recipe gained legal protection in the European Union in 2008 through protected geographical status. That means the traditional product is tied to a defined region and production specification, rather than simply being any Polish pastry shaped like a croissant.
The pastry is therefore associated specifically with Poznań, not Poland’s other major cities listed as alternatives.