Apples, walnuts, poppy seeds, pastry and either plum or apricot jam: these are the layers in the popular Hungarian pastry known as flodni. The cake was traditionally made by Hungarian Jews to celebrate Purim, a joyous Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from a plot to massacre them in Persia.
Although flodni was popular before the war, it really took off in the postwar period when Holocaust survivors began baking it again. Its popularity and fame soon spread far and wide. Today, flodni is seen as a quintessentially Hungarian pastry.
For Hanna Stahl-Bohus and her mother, Judit Stahl, flodni symbolizes Budapest's long Jewish history. It's estimated that the Hungarian capital is home to the biggest Ashkenazi Jewish community in continental Europe (80,000 to 120,000 people).
To draw attention to this community's history and traditions, mother and daughter wrote a play about flodni, which has been staged in Budapest. For Stahl-Bohus, flodni is an opportunity to engage with her Jewish roots. She said today there is no need for Jews to hide their Jewish identity. For her, this openness is a key contribution to making Hungary a tolerant, diverse society.