What is the name of the traditional Christmas bread from the Czech Republic? Vánočka. It is a rich, sweet, plaited bread traditionally baked for Christmas in the Czech Republic; in Slovakia, the related bread is called vianočka.
Vánočka is made with ingredients such as flour, yeast, eggs, butter, sugar, raisins and almonds. Lemon zest or rum may add flavor. Its braided form resembles challah, and some loaves are built from several stacked plaits that become progressively smaller toward the top.
The bread has a long history. Benedictine monk Jan of Holešov mentioned a festive Christmas bread around 1400 and interpreted it as symbolizing the infant Jesus wrapped in cloth. By the sixteenth century, guild bakers controlled its production, while by the eighteenth century households were baking it themselves. The name comes from Vánoce, the Czech word for Christmas. A similar loaf made from the same dough, mazanec, is associated with Easter.