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.”