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Those baumkuchen upthread are stunning. How are those ridges formed on the outside?

When I travel, I love to go to supermarkets and grocery stores. To me, it's on the same order as going to museums. (But more dynamic. ) I also have dietary restrictions, and anyway baking is my thing much more than cooking, so pastry shops and bakeries are more important than restaurants. I was recently in Italy for a short visit, only in Rome and Venice. Rome was pastries, Venice was cookies. Nirvana. Also, outdoor produce markets. In Venice I had the most beautiful fresh figs I've ever eaten in my life, and I lived in Jerusalem for 20 years so I've eaten my share of figs, both dried and fresh. When looking for a restaurant, I will usually go in the opposite direction of any tourist crowd I see. I can remember many times when all I wanted was to sit down in a restaurant that was quiet and comfortable and far from the madding crowd, food being at best secondary to my mind, but I've been surprised at the good meals I've found in these instances.