(4 May 2019) LEADIN: A ring-shaped speciality Russian bread was so loved by Catherine the Great that she added it to the coat of arms of the city where she first tasted it.
To this day the city of Murom in western Russia celebrates its trademark bun, which has it own monument in the historical city.
Monks from the local monastery are the main specialist bakers crafting these rolls, which are inscribed with the city's name.
STORYLINE:
A bread roll so revered that it has its own monument in Murom, a city in western Russia.
Tourists travel to the area to taste the bread and take selfies with kalach memorabilia.
Kalach bread has been baked in Murom for centuries.
The baking process starts late at night, and bakers use a mould to form each roll into its trademark ring and twisted shape.
Apart from the usual recipe a good dose of love is needed when baking the perfect kalach.
Irina Zapretilova, a baker of the famed rolls, says she puts every effort into her baking.
"We make dough with natural materials. We mix dough from flour, sugar, salt, yeast and margarine.
We then knead the dough. And we do it with our whole heart."
Most kalach rolls are crafted from within the walls of the Murom Transfiguration Monastery.
According to a nun in the area the only authentic kalach rolls are those baked by the monks from the monastery.
The proceeds from the sale of Kalach rolls are used for the upkeep of the religious community and buildings.
"Kalach is baked in the monastery to maintain this monastery, to build new buildings and teach children and priests.
It is considered the main souvenir of the city and the real kalach is baked only inside the monastery," says nun, Tatyana.
The pretzel like rolls are not usually bought by the locals, as they are too expensive, says kalach vendor, Lyubov Kumanaeva.
"It is in demand especially among visiting pilgrims. The local population can not always buy it because it is expensive."
One Kalach rolls costs around 1.20 US Dollars.
Folk ensembles use the traditional bread as part of their performances.
Natalya Monakhova, director of folk performances, says the rolls were so popular with royalty in Russia that it was added to Murom's coat of arms in 1781.
"In the eighteenth century Catherine the Great who was visiting the city was greeted with delicious kalach
and she liked this famous bake so much that decided to put it on the coat of arms of the city. In addition Paul I (the Tsar of Russia between 1754-1801), when he visited Murom and tried kalach sent a few of them to St. Petersburg."
Kalach is given to honorary guests as a welcoming gesture and is presented as a parting gift to important people when they leave Murom.
During the summer months when there are many tourists in Murom around a thousand five hundred Kalach rolls are baked each day due popular demand.
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