Rab Cake

Rapska torta is made from ground almonds, sugar, eggs and maraschino in a thin pastry casing, rolled into a long rope and coiled into a spiral, then baked slowly - dense, sweet and closer to marzipan than to cake. The tradition holds that the Benedictine nuns of St Andrew on Rab made it for Pope Alexander III when he visited the island in 1177, and it has been made on Rab ever since, historically by convents and now also commercially. The recipe was protected as a designation in Croatia, and the shape is fixed: it is always the coil, which is said to represent either a snail or the island's own form.

What to look for

• Ground almonds and maraschino - the whole of the filling.
• Coiled into a spiral - the shape is part of the definition.
• Made for a papal visit in 1177 - by the Benedictine nuns of Rab.
• Still made on the island - by convents and bakeries alike.

When to go

Year round. A tasting.

Good to know

It is very sweet and very dense - a small piece goes a long way. Mass-produced versions differ noticeably from the convent and small bakery ones. It travels well, which is why most visitors buy it to take home.

Nearby

Rab town's four bell towers are above the shops; Lopar is north.