Pigs in a blanket and Kolace are two popular snack foods with so much controversy over “what they mean” and what they CAN mean.
Yet, attempts to try and discern, strictly, what makes up what and what can never be considered what, is met by serious criticism and backlash.
Is it wrong to try and preserve the culture around a food, it’s identity, as well as appreciating it for EXACTLY what it is?
Wouldn’t you agree that scone isn’t a biscuit and crepe isn’t pancake? — and even have a heated argument with anyone who claims otherwise?
See?
So both Pigs in a blanket and Kolache are great snack foods enjoyed by millions around the world, but they do have noticeable differences in their makeup, fillings and origins.
This article dusts the confusion around pigs in a blanket and kolache with a deep comparison and contrast between the two snacks!
Here’s How Pigs In A Blanket Differ From Kolache
Pigs in a blanket differ from Kolace in the sense that the wrapper for it is a croissant dough whereas the filling inside is vienna, cocktail, hot link or breakfast sausage. In Kolace however, the wrapper is made from a yeast dough whereas the filling inside is made from fruits. An intermediary dish exists between the two called klobasnek which combines the yeast wrapper of Kolache and the sausage filling of Pigs in a blanket.
Definition
What Are Pigs In A blanket?
Pigs in a blanket consist of small sausages wrapped in a croissant dough, brushed with egg white and baked until golden brown. It’s a classic snack (with a murky history) enjoyed by many around the world in occasions such as parties or gatherings.
It has many variations (which we’ll look into below) with differences mostly in the type of meat used as well as the constituents of the dough.
What Is Kolache?
Kolache is a fluffy yeast based dough, shaped into a square or round with a pocket in the middle meant to accommodate sweet fruit fillings. The fillings can range from cherry, peach to all sorts of berries and sweeteners.
Origins
History Of Pigs In A Blanket
The history of pigs in a blanket isn’t exactly clear, particularly, the aspect concerning its origins and what country should claim it — and this is so because many variations have existed way back in time in many different places around the world. Asians have always had a similar dish that wrapped fish or seafood (instead of sausage) in a pastry!
We do know, however, that the modern version of the snack has been around since the early 20th century through a special mention it had in a certain US Army Cook book that referred to it as “Pork Sausage Link In A Blanket”.
The modern day version also, is enjoyed by millions of people in different parts of the world but with dedicated efforts to still preserve the basic concept of wrapping meat inside a pastry dough.
Pigs in a blanket is also quite popular in the United States with a particular day, April 25, specially dedicated to celebrating its existence.
It is expected to have made its way into the United States from Europe.
History Of Kolache
Unlike pigs in a blanket, the origin of Kolache has a clear trace and when followed, leads us to Central and Eastern Europe, particularly the country called Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The word itself is a derivative from the Czech and Slavonic term kolo which means a circle – making allusion to the circle shape of the snack.
Kolache made its way into the United States through Czech Immigrants in the late 1800’s. It’s popular among the indigenous people of Central and Southern United States particularly in Texas and Iowa.
Preparation
How Are Pigs In A Blanket Made?
The ingredients needed for making pigs in a blanket include hotdogs or sausages, biscuit or croissant dough (either canned or freshly made) and egg wash.
The hot dogs are cut into bite-sized pieces in order to really make them look like pigs in a blanket, cute. Then, they’re rolled inside the dough (cut into thin triangular strips to create the stepped look of the snack) and placed on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Afterwards, the “blanketed pigs” are brushed with the egg wash so that the dough covering bakes into a nice golden brown color. The pigs in a blanket are then slid into an oven preheated to 375°F to bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the dough turns out golden brown.
Here’s a quick video below on how to make pigs in a blanket.
How Is Kolache Made?
To make kolache, first make a yeast dough using any tested and trusted recipe, then roll the dough out flat on a working surface and cut out circles using a pastry cutter.
Now fill the centre of each dough using any sweet filling of your choice and fold up the edges to form a pocket of filling in the middle.
Place the Kolaches on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and put them in a preheated oven (375°F) to bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough turns out brown.
Below is a video on how to make delicious kolaches.
Serving
What Goes With Pigs In A Blanket?
Pigs in a blanket are so versatile that they serve as a perfect accompaniment for various food items. First, they can serve as breakfast or brunch paired with eggs, oats and cereals.
They can also be enjoyed with dips and condiments such as Rotel, honey, sauce and ketchup. Side dishes like salad and baked beans would also work great with them.
What Goes With Kolache?
Like pigs in a blanket, kolache can be served with so many accompaniments ranging from coffee, yoghurt, tea, hot cocoa and other warm or cold beverages.
They can also be served with veggie or salad, and can be enjoyed as breakfast food, snack or even dessert.
Types
What Are The Variations Of Pigs In A Blanket?
Pigs in a blanket has so many variations across the world with the most popular being klobasnek, although many will still argue its a separate snack of its own.
Klobasnek nestles perfectly between the two dishes we’ve been talking about since the start of this article: pigs in a blanket and kolache.
It starts out with a yeast dough (kolache) and incorporates the sausage filling (pigs in a blanket). So it’s more like an offspring between the two snacks.
Because the same dough used to make kolach is used for klobasnek, a lot of people especially in the United States refer to it simply as kolache.
Other variations of pigs in a blanket include cheese stuffed, vegetarian, Würstchen im Schlafrock (which is the german version that uses sausages such as bratwurst or bockwurst), sausage dog (which is the japanese version that bakes sausage flavored with sauce and then wrapped inside bread) and then sausage rolls which is the UK version of the snack.
What Are The Variations Of Kolache?
Kolache is mainly a sweet snack with fruit filling. The many different variations of it made with savoury ingredients like sausages aren’t really kolaches, but rather, something different on their own, take klobasnek for instance, it’s made with kolache dough, but the filling inside is savoury which means it cannot be accepted as a kolache!
Sweet kolache can vary in the type of fruit or sweet filling which can range from raspberry, apricot, cherry, fruit preserves to chocolate and sweetened poppy seeds.
It can also have a variation in the type of dough used to bake it, with some opting for a more pastry-like experience therefore using a pastry dough for the job.
Kolache can also vary in the shape in which it is baked, the most common which is round but it can also be made twisted or square.
