Veka (pastry)

Veka (bułka paryska or bułka francuska) is a pastry produced in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Its character is similar to a French baguette although the veka is wider, bigger, and fluffier and has a smoother surface. It is made of wheat flour. Its weight is about 350 grams.

Polish regional names

 * Kraków Land – weka
 * Łódź – angielka
 * Upper Silesia – linga or weka
 * Podkarpacie Province – bina or weka
 * Poznań, Jelenia Góra – kawiorka
 * Kujawy – "baton" or  "bułka wyborowa"
 * Central Poland – gryzka
 * Częstochowa Land and Radomsko in Łódź Voivodeship – linga
 * The veka is also referred to as "bułka kielecka" and "bułka wrocławska"

Uses in Czech cuisine
It is commonly used creating of open sandwiches called obložené chlebíčky. Eating of obložený chlebíček as a fast food snack is widespread habit and they are even sold in specialized shops called bufet or chlebíčkárna ("bread shop").

The veka can be used for certain types of knedlik (knödel). It is a major ingredient of žemlovka dish.