THE TIROL STRUDEL

This is the most popular pastry made of buttered dough. It is a public belief that the strudel is a product of the Hungarian cuisine and even in Tirol (Austria) people claim that the original recipe comes from the Hungarians. In fact, the strudel was brought to Hungary by the Turks who came to stay here for 150 years, and they also brought along other items like the stuffed cabbage, the “langos” (fried dough), peach and other fruits, the thermal spas, the Arab horses, the suspension of unnecessary water sprinkling, the prohibition of alcohol, and numerous other useful things.

The Tirol strudel can be filled with sour cherry, cottage cheese, poppy seeds and apple. The most special part of the strudel is the end of the strudel loaf. Guests may never be served the end of the strudel load because it is prohibited by the regulations in the trade. However, the confectionery staff is obliged to make use of the loaf ends, that is, they have to eat them. Today the ends make up a considerable part of the loaf, at times they even make up 30 %. Some regular guests specifically ask for the ends, therefore – through a special folding technique – we make strudel loafs with ends longer than the loaf itself. The filling of the Tirol strudel is made to perfectly match the crispy and mellow butter dough around it. In the case of sour cherry filling, the sour cherries have to stay in one after baking, so that they look freshly round and red in the juice jellified through the baking process.