History Of Kolache
An early written presence of this cake in America was in The Chicago Record Cook Book (Chicago, 1896), a collection of ten thousand recipes submitted by readers to a regular newspaper column, the instructions (along with “Brown Farina Soup,” “Chopped Veal Leg,” and “Noodle Pudding”) provided by Mrs. Mary A. Cizkovsky of Chicago: “Stuffed Biscuits (Bohemian kolace.
The southern Minnesota town of Montgomery, just south of New Prague, claiming the title of “Kolacky capital of the world,” holds its own annual Kolacky Days Festival. The Montgomery celebration, dating from just days before the stock market crash in 1929, eventually became a three-day series of events during the first weekend in August. Although many of the original ethnic overtones of the festival dissipated over the years, kolacky remain, including the home-baked kolacky contest featuring prizes for the Best Tasting (in traditional and non-traditional toppings), Most Perfectly Shaped, and Largest. Kolache are also featured at annual Czech Fests and Kolache Days in Wilson, Kansas; Wilber, Nebraska; Prague, Oklahoma (nicknamed Kolache-ville); Yukon, Oklahoma; and the Kolache Shoot-out in Elba, Nebraska. These events most commonly occur in August and September corresponding to the maturation of Italian plums.