During the course of history, Christian nobles and even kings or princes have been canonized for political reasons. However, this is not 100% true in the case of the Serbian prince Rastko Nemanjić (1174-1236), who became a monk at 16 years old under the name of Sava. He was the younger son of Stefan Nemanja and brother to Vukan and Stefan, all of them mighty rulers in the southern and southwestern parts of ex-Yugoslavia. Stefan was crowned the first king of Serbia and Rastko became head of its Church. He was a charismatic man, a visionary, and just as influencial as the other members of the Nemanjić dynasty that held secular power. While he remained his brother's advisor, he organized or helped organize the kingdom's administration, religion, education and culture. As is expected, Sava's biographers describe him as kind, gentle, and holy but much of what he achieved resulted from his diplomatic skill; his father had been in very good terms with the Byzantine emperor but Sava was also granted permission to restore the monastery of Hilandar on Mt. Athos, in what is today northern Greece. More importantly, he obtained autonomy from the patriarchate of Constantinople, founded Serbian Orthodox monasteries, and composed Serbian Orthodox liturgies. All these were political acts. He died of illness in Turnovo (Bulgaria) having accomplished so much in a lifespan of sixty years that he very quickly became a legend. He was canonized soon after his death and is venerated on 14/27 January, which is a public & school holiday. Serbian families each have their own patron but St. Sava is the patron of all Serbs.
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| A 13th century portrait of St. Sava |
Although religious holidays in Serbia are celebrated with a particular yeast-bread which is called slavski kolač, the most important Orthodox Christian saint on these lands is celebrated with pretzels. There doesn't seem to be an explanation for this. According to folk tradition, St. Sava negotiated with the Fallen Angel the right of his beloved Serbs to their daily bread so housewives express their gratitude baking pretzels.
Pretzels, whose name is probably derived from the Latin word bracellus (=bracelet), were recorded in the culinary traditions of western, central & northern Europe since the early Middle Ages. The folded arms would symbolize prayer. Accordingly, some versions of pretzels were made for consumption during the Lent. In the 12th century, when Rastko Nemanjić lived, the pretzel also became the symbol of German, French and Swedish bakers. Pretzel dough was leavened with fresh yeast using a starter and contained little or no sugar. German-speaking immigrants to America, the Pennsylvania Dutch, brought their recipes along so pretzels became just as popular in the USA as they had been in Europe.
Not surprisingly, the ingredients of svetosavske perece (St. Sava's pretzels) also vary, depending on the recipe. The most important part is maybe the glazing. When it's almost done, a Serbian loaf is brushed with a mixture of flour, water and salt, then returned to the oven. The same technique is used for pretzels although it's not uncommon to glaze St. Sava's 'twisted horse-shoes' with beaten egg and sprinkle with cumin or poppy seeds, as is the habit elsewhere.
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