You can find this bread in the bakeries of Catalonia only around the festivity of Sant Jordi (23rd of April). Sant Jordi is one of the most important Catalan traditions, in which we commemorate the legend of Sant Jordi (Saint George) who killed the dragon, and when the dragon’s blood touched the ground it became a red rose bush. In the same way that Sant Jordi picked a rose and gave it to the princess, we give roses to the people we love (family, partners, friends, coworkers...) and we also give books.
In Catalonia, this day has been a national holiday dedicated to love since the 15th century, and a very important one because Saint George is the patron saint of Catalonia (together with the Virgin of Montserrat). Nowadays, bakeries make this bread to celebrate the festivity, decorated with the colours of the Catalan flag (four red stripes on a yellow background). The yellow colour is achieved by mixing the bread with cheese, and the red is achieved by mixing it with sobrassada (a cured sausage made of pork with paprika and other spices).
Video by the bakery Forn l’Eixample from Barcelona (TikTok / Instagram).
I wanted to share this recipe and my experience making it. This is an Eggnog pie I made based off a TikTok recipe. My Grandparents really enjoyed it, it was part of my grandfather’s gift, I had gotten his name in my family’s gift exchange.
I made it without the alcohol because my grandfather is diabetic, I also used too much whipped cream and I would recommend hand whipping your cream and not using the store bought like I did. I also incorporated the nutmeg into the pie and not on top.
Sorry if my video is hard to watch I was in a rush.