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The kolache is a Czech pastry with a cult following in Texas, consisting of a light, slightly sweet yeast dough filled with either savory or sweet ingredients (think cream cheese, poppyseed, or jalapeño sausage & cheese).

The kolache's history in the U.S. dates back to the 1840s, when large numbers of Moravian peasants emigrated to Texas, bringing with them their polka, their country-style sausages, and of course their kolaches.

Since then the kolache has captured the hearts (and stomachs) of Texans both Czech and non-Czech alike. In a Houston donut shop you're just as likely to find kolaches as you are donuts, and no Texas roadtrip is complete without a stop at one of the iconic kolache bakeries (invariably attached to a giant gas station convenience store, in uniquely Texan fashion) such as Czech Stop, Hruska's, and Weikel's.

Other fun kolache facts include:

• In the 1950s McDonalds founder Ray Kroc (of proud Czech origin) tried to put kolaches on the McD's menu. Unfortunately he was ahead of his time, and they were a flop.
• Kolaches hold a special place in Czech wedding rituals. Traditionally wedding invitations would be accompanied by a gift of three kolaches, and there are also reports of "kolache dowries" prepared by the bride's family back in the days of old.
• Also, a vicious debate rages about whether the sausage kolache can rightfully be called a kolache (instead of its more traditional Czech name, the klobasnek). We'll answer to both, but despite our Czech bona fides we opt for the broader definition of a kolache that encompasses both sweet & savory fillings. (Also, klobasnek is kinda hard for the layperson to pronounce.)