I had these at the Budapest Saturday flea market while wandering around the antique and vintage stalls. I liked them so much I wanted to recreate them at home. I do love anything poppy seed – it’s like legal drugs.
The word kifli and other variants, means ‘horned’. The shape is lunar, like a crescent moon, so there may be a pagan origin, worship of a goddess. The crescent shape is considered the oldest for pastry. The lunar shape may also be a trace of islamic, Turkish culture as Hungary was occupied by the Ottomans for centuries. You can still see traces of this in modern Hungary, in the Turkish baths and the serving of pickled turnips with meals, for instance.
