Slovenia calls for recognition of nut cake after Pope's quip to Melania Trump at Vatican

Until a few days ago, it was a tasty but obscure cake from Slovenia. 

But a quip by Pope Francis about Donald Trump's girth catapulted the Slovenian dessert putizza, also known as potica, to international attention. 

Now Slovenia has decided to capitalise on the dessert’s new-found fame by seeking official European Union recognition for the toothsome treat so that authentic recipes are not messed around with.

It's being dubbed “the Melania effect” - it was to the First Lady that the Pope made the joke last Wednesday, when the Trumps visited the Vatican for the first time as part of their nine-day international trip.

“What do you feed him, putizza?” the pontiff asked, in an apparent attempt to make small talk.  He made the jest in his native Spanish and it initially appeared to get lost in translation.

Mrs Trump seemed confused, perhaps thinking he had said “pizza”, but then answered: “Putizza, ah yes.”

The Pope is a big fan of the cake and often mentions it when he meets Slovenians.

Slovenia now wants official recognition for the cake, much as Italy has called for protection for the authenticity of Neapolitan pizza, prosecco and tiramisu.

The country’s ministry of agriculture and the national chamber of small businesses have joined forces to push for Brussels to protect “the original recipe” for the sticky cake.

The aim is to standardise the many different versions of putizza, which is traditionally made with butter, eggs, nuts, chocolate and “skuta”, a sweet cheese similar to ricotta. 

Poppy seeds and raisins are sometimes included. Only bakeries and patisseries which stick to the official recipe will be able to call their product “Slovenska potica”.

The Pope’s light-hearted remark made headlines around the world, with US newspapers explaining at length exactly what putizza consisted of and publishing recipes.

“The Pope and Melania Trump had an awkward exchange about nut bread, and now we all want to try it,” was how one story was headlined in The Washington Post.
 

Since the election of Donald Trump as President, Mrs Trump has inadvertently raised Slovenia’s profile. The number of American visitors is up by more than 15 per cent, the Slovenian tourism industry has reported.

Mrs Trump comes from Sevnica, a small town on the banks of the Sava River about 60 miles from the capital, Ljubljana.

Born Melanija Knavs, she left Slovenia in her twenties to pursue an international modeling career.