Knowledge without frontiers Knowledge Without Frontiers | Page 82

A reprint of Trubar’s Catechism from 1935.
Technical Museum of Slovenia. Photo: Nebojša Tejić, STA.
BOOK BARRELS
TRUBAR'S POTICA
The first record of potica, Slovenia’s signatu-
re cake, dates back to Trubar’s era. At the time
it was called povitica, meaning a cake made of
rolled dough. The expression appears in the 1575
edition of the Catechism and the New Testa-
ment of 1577.
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All of Trubar’s books, which were printed in
Germany, were shipped to Slovenian readers in
wooden barrels. Being waterproof, barrels were
used to transport all manner of goods at the
time. This was also the best way to conceal the
content of shipments and smuggle forbidden
Protestant books at a time when Protestants
were being persecuted.