Beautiful! There's a strudel-stretching situation in the Christmas traditions of Provence, an apple pie, croustade, that's topped with rumpled-up strudel-pastry, like an ummade bed. It's sold in farmer's markets as the centerpiece for the Treize Desserts - an arrangement of sweet things (12 apostles plus Jesus) laid out on a table throughout the holiday for people to help themselves - as I'm sure you already know! Is there a similar Christmas arrangement in Romania? Seems to be quite localised in France.
In some Catholic communities in Romania, there is a Christmas tradition to display or eat 12 dishes, but not 12 sweet dishes. Romania is, in fact, largely Orthodox, and we don't have any specific culinary traditions for Christmas Eve or Day related to the number 12. We have a regional dish with 12 thin, filo-like layers with hemp filling (a hallucinogen, of course, for such an occasion, although Lent dishes can sometimes include it). In Romania, Swabians are well known for their elaborate layered cakes, cookies, and biscuits, which they love to arrange on large platters, all mixed together.
We have Swabians in southwest Transylvania, in the Banat region, with the capital in Timisoara. Near the Danube, in southern Banat, we have Serbians and Czechs in what we call the Banat of the Danube Gorge, Banatul de Clisura. However, there are no clear regional boundaries…and historically, they were the first to leave for the Fatherland, so…
As always, I am learning from you, Irina! we make Beigli often and especially around the holidays. it is to me the most defined part of our Hungarian Christmas (along with all the kifli and other cookies). I have never thought about Beigli as strudel, or even related--as the strudel we eat in central Hungary (Bakony-Czsenek-Veszprem-Balaton regions) are always made with a thin leaf dough like Filo. Our Beigli has a much thicker poppy seed-to-yeasted dough layer, and will often also be filled with sweetened ground nuts and lemon (my favorite for Christmas!!)
This Ottoman baker meets German housewife explanation makes so much sense to me! What a joy It is to uncover the different names and influences as you shift from east to west. ❤️
It makes so much sense in Transylvania that we have both stories. You are right, the other popular filling is with walnuts, and people often bake both versions for Christmas.
I love poppy seed sweets and I love food name etymology.
Thank you for the strudel journey.
And it makes perfect sense that Romania would have the most strudel styles of anywhere.
Thank you for reading the story. I hope you’ll like the recipe, if you decide to make it.
Beautiful! There's a strudel-stretching situation in the Christmas traditions of Provence, an apple pie, croustade, that's topped with rumpled-up strudel-pastry, like an ummade bed. It's sold in farmer's markets as the centerpiece for the Treize Desserts - an arrangement of sweet things (12 apostles plus Jesus) laid out on a table throughout the holiday for people to help themselves - as I'm sure you already know! Is there a similar Christmas arrangement in Romania? Seems to be quite localised in France.
In some Catholic communities in Romania, there is a Christmas tradition to display or eat 12 dishes, but not 12 sweet dishes. Romania is, in fact, largely Orthodox, and we don't have any specific culinary traditions for Christmas Eve or Day related to the number 12. We have a regional dish with 12 thin, filo-like layers with hemp filling (a hallucinogen, of course, for such an occasion, although Lent dishes can sometimes include it). In Romania, Swabians are well known for their elaborate layered cakes, cookies, and biscuits, which they love to arrange on large platters, all mixed together.
thanks for the info, Irina. I remember Swabians in Hungary, but didn't come across them in Romania - presumably on the Danube?
We have Swabians in southwest Transylvania, in the Banat region, with the capital in Timisoara. Near the Danube, in southern Banat, we have Serbians and Czechs in what we call the Banat of the Danube Gorge, Banatul de Clisura. However, there are no clear regional boundaries…and historically, they were the first to leave for the Fatherland, so…
Something that has been “rolled” is called “rolmops” (In NL). A rolled herring usually called this way.
Good name for a roll. Thank you, Sietske.
As always, I am learning from you, Irina! we make Beigli often and especially around the holidays. it is to me the most defined part of our Hungarian Christmas (along with all the kifli and other cookies). I have never thought about Beigli as strudel, or even related--as the strudel we eat in central Hungary (Bakony-Czsenek-Veszprem-Balaton regions) are always made with a thin leaf dough like Filo. Our Beigli has a much thicker poppy seed-to-yeasted dough layer, and will often also be filled with sweetened ground nuts and lemon (my favorite for Christmas!!)
This Ottoman baker meets German housewife explanation makes so much sense to me! What a joy It is to uncover the different names and influences as you shift from east to west. ❤️
It makes so much sense in Transylvania that we have both stories. You are right, the other popular filling is with walnuts, and people often bake both versions for Christmas.
If we were nearer we could enjoy it together with a glass of chai. As we say, may your hands not hurt (allaruz aghrimasun).
Such a lovely idea. Maybe one day…