"70 orders a day." A Belarusian woman bakes Easter buns in Warsaw that surprise Poles
Before Easter, Valeriya gets only a few hours of sleep. All the remaining time she bakes buns to order for Belarusians and Ukrainians in Warsaw. The thing is, in Poland, for Easter, it's customary to eat "babka" – similar in shape and texture to a pound cake – but immigrants miss their familiar baked goods. However, even here Valeriya can't resist experimenting: her buns are generously filled with chocolate caramel and cherry jam. The Belarusian woman told the Most publication what it's like to bake 70 buns a day and what Poles think of her baking.
Valeriya. Photo from her archive
"Dad carried an 11-kilogram marble slab for chocolate on his own"
Valeriya became passionate about confectionery in the 11th grade – that's when she first baked a charlotte and realized that this occupation was to her liking. However, she went to study as a paramedic-obstetrician and baked as a hobby.
"My parents supported me very much. My mom made cardboard boxes for my desserts with her own hands. And once we went to Kyiv – I wanted to buy a marble surface there, on which chocolate is tempered. Dad carried an 11-kilogram slab on his own through the subway, just so I could pursue my passion," the Belarusian woman recalls.
Photo from Valeriya's archive
Valeriya worked in medicine for three years, but then fully transitioned into confectionery – she started baking custom products. She began her career in Minsk – she was a pastry chef in one of the establishments. After emigrating to Warsaw, she started looking for work in the same field.
"First, I worked in a restaurant [of the famous restaurateur and TV presenter] Magda Gessler, and then I got a job as a pastry chef in a Belarusian establishment. But eventually, I left employment," the girl says.
"Taste is one of the ways to perceive the world, like sight or hearing"
According to Valeriya's observations, baking and dessert traditions in Belarus and Poland differ greatly.
"For us, Pavlova meringue is too sweet; Poles, however, really like it. Here they love sweet and quark-based desserts. We, however, prefer experiments in flavors, unusual textures. I believe that taste is one of the ways to perceive the world, like sight or hearing. That's why I'm always for offering people something they've never tasted before."
After moving to Poland, Valeriya did not adapt to local tastes, maintaining her love for experiments. And it turned out that some Polish clients are open to unusual combinations, such as macaron cakes with brie cheese and berries.
Photo from Valeriya's archive
"I decided to offer our usual bun – the demand was very high"
For Easter, Valeriya bakes Easter buns. Traditional ones, as is customary in Belarus and Ukraine, which are almost never found in Poland. In this country, mainly "babka" is sold – in terms of dough and shape, it's a pound cake familiar to Belarusians.
"So I decided to offer people our usual bun – the demand among Belarusians and Ukrainians was very high."
At first, Valeriya made classic buns – without filling, and also with vanilla and chocolate. But the following year, she decided to experiment here too – that's how a bun with cherry, poppy seeds, and meringue appeared, and also one with orange and chocolate.
Photo from Valeriya's archive
"They write that this is not an Easter bun"
Valeriya doesn't skimp on the filling for her buns, although sometimes she gets criticized for it.
"They write that this is not an Easter bun. Because a real bun should be exclusively with raisins and glaze on top. But there are so many orders and positive reviews that, I think, I'm on the right track. I like to rethink classics: suddenly, if you add a new detail to a baked good, the taste will only get better," the girl muses.
Poles, lovers of yeast pastries, also showed interest in the unusual buns.
"But where our tastes are similar is the poppy seed roll, which Poles traditionally bake for both Christmas and Easter. They put a lot of poppy seeds in the roll, and also add raisins and candied fruit," Valeriya says.
"The bun needs to be baked and eaten quickly"
Valeriya bakes the Easter buns alone. She usually has to make a minimum of 50 products. This process is labor-intensive. First, the yeast dough needs to stand and rise. In parallel, you need to prepare the filling and creams, and then bake the products and decorate them.
"I can't take more than 70 orders a day, because a bun is a product that needs to be baked quickly and given to the customer so they can eat it immediately. Because such buns are delicious when fresh. So on the eve of Easter, I work at night, with only a couple of hours left for sleep."
Valeriya's husband supports her in her work: he buys 20-kilogram bags of flour and helps deliver orders around Warsaw.
"And he makes sure I eat myself," Valeriya laughs.
Valeriya with her work. Photo from her archive
Living with diabetes, confectionery even helped
Since the age of five, the Belarusian woman has lived with type one diabetes, requiring insulin injections. At night, her legs can cramp, and the craft Valeriya chose requires standing for many hours.
"In a certain sense, confectionery even helped me: if before I could secretly eat sweets uncontrollably from my parents, now I taste desserts exclusively out of professional interest."
Photo from Valeriya's archive
A week before Catholic Easter, all orders for Valeriya's buns were already booked.
"This time requires a lot of strength and sometimes completely consumes you. But I love confectionery so much: when you are passionate about something, you want to strive for more," she smiles.
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Навошта беларусы завозяць у Польшчу расейскія традыцыі? Пра расейскую мову не кажучы. Той самы Мост таго выдатны прыклад.