Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Pastries around the world


Sugarella

Recommended Posts

Well, we all just learned about the adorable Danish pastry træstamme thanks to filipe, and that got me thinking about all the other pastries out there which may be native and common to some, but generally unheard of by most of the rest of us.

I'm ½ Hungarian, and likely our most famous or well known pastry is Kifli. (pronounced KEE-flee) You'll notice they look an awful lot like Rugelach, (which is debatable whether or not it originated in Hungary) but they are quite different. My grandmother used to make hers as cigar kifli rather than in the traditional shape..... you can see a photo of something similar here.

We also have the traditional Dobos Torte (pronounced dah-BOSH) which is a layer cake, often chocolate.

Do you have any pastries from your heritage that the rest of us may not have heard of?

Edited by Sugarella (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Sugarella, nice thread :)

I guess that almost everyone knows these, but here they are again : the Portuguese Custard Tarts (in portuguese Pastéis-de Nata)

gallery_40488_2237_225495.jpg

You can find more info about them at this thread

as well as a photographic step-by-step, courtesy of myself eheh

Edited by filipe (log)

Filipe A S

pastry student, food lover & food blogger

there's allways room for some more weight

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a less well known but very typical dessert from Vienna that is on my list to make:

"Wiener Weinschnitten"

Literally "Viennese Wine Slices" these are puffy crepes folded over a generous and thick filling of an Austrian white wine chilled zabaglione-type concoction (Weinchadeau) that is folded with a generous amount of "Schlag" or whipped cream.

Drink this with a "Kleiner Brauner" (demitass of espresso w/a dash of milk) at your next Kaffeklatsch...

Check out this gorgeous photo at Saveur online: click

And here's a recipe: Wiener Weinschnitten

(Hmmm.... maybe these would be nice for Easter...)

edited to add: Here is a thread on "Favorite Austrian and Hungarian Tortes and Pastries": click

Edited by ludja (log)

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

there are many examples of Dutch pastries in the Dutch Cooking thread.. here's one that is really delicious:

Gevulde koeken, buttery pastry with an almond paste filling

gallery_21505_1968_60123.jpg

Wow, that's just so gorgeous! I'm off to the other thread to collect the recipe... Beautiful photo, too! :biggrin:

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, we all just learned about the adorable Danish pastry træstamme thanks to filipe, and that got me thinking about all the other pastries out there which may be native and common to some, but generally unheard of by most of the rest of us.

I'm ½ Hungarian, and likely our most famous or well known pastry is Kifli.  (pronounced KEE-flee) You'll notice they look an awful lot like Rugelach, (which is debatable whether or not it originated in Hungary) but they are quite different. My grandmother used to make hers as cigar kifli rather than in the traditional shape..... you can see a photo of something similar here.

We also have the traditional Dobos Torte (pronounced dah-BOSH) which is a layer cake, often chocolate.

Do you have any pastries from your heritage that the rest of us may not have heard of?

Now, wait a minute. My Kifli always looks good. My dear mom, bless her soul, made some great looking Kifli. I guess it can be like prezels, some can look very nice and some so, so. But it doesn't matter, at least to me, what it looks like, it just has to taste great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, we all just learned about the adorable Danish pastry træstamme thanks to filipe, and that got me thinking about all the other pastries out there which may be native and common to some, but generally unheard of by most of the rest of us.

I'm ½ Hungarian, and likely our most famous or well known pastry is Kifli.  (pronounced KEE-flee) You'll notice they look an awful lot like Rugelach, (which is debatable whether or not it originated in Hungary) but they are quite different. My grandmother used to make hers as cigar kifli rather than in the traditional shape..... you can see a photo of something similar here.

We also have the traditional Dobos Torte (pronounced dah-BOSH) which is a layer cake, often chocolate.

Do you have any pastries from your heritage that the rest of us may not have heard of?

I learned pastry work from two Hungarian pastry chef/bakers in my mom's bakery after she sponsored them and their families following the "revolt" in 1956. The kifli were very popular with people in the area, who were mostly of German descent. We also made bagly (? spelling) rather like strudel, and a multi-layered Esterhazy cake made with whipped cream, caramel and nuts, filled cheesecakes and a "thousand-layer" pastry made with very thin puff pastry that had alternating layers of whipped cream mixed with fruit or nuts between each layer of pastry.

My housekeeper is Hungarian and makes some apricot and almond pastries that are delicious, melt-in-the-mouth.

She also makes this:

Here is Anka Hargitay's recipe for

Zserbo cookie/cake

Zserbo

Flour, 2 cups regular, 2 cups pastry or cake flour (or use all White Lily southern type flour)

XXX sugar, 1 level cup.

Butter, 5 tablespoons unsalted

2 large eggs, beaten until frothy

honey, warmed and strained, 1/4 cup

sour cream, 1/4 cup.

Place first 3 ingredients in bowl of food processor. Pulse until it looks like coarse bread crumbs.

Mix together eggs, honey and sour cream and add to mixture in processor.

Pulse just until dough forms a ball.

Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Line cookie sheets with bakers parchment.

Divide the chilled dough into 4 parts.

Roll each part into a square about 1/8 inch thick and place on cookie sheet.

If you don't have room in your oven to bake them all at once, keep dough chilled while you do the first two, then make the next two.

Set aside to cool.

Filling

2 cups XXX sugar

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1/4 cup cake flour

1 cup half and half

1 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place XXX sugar, superfine sugar and the flour in a bowl over simmering water (or a double boiler)

Add the half and half a little at a time, stirring constantly until it gets thick like pudding then stir in the melted butter and beat until creamy.

Measure out 1/3 of the filling and spread on the bottom layer cookie.

Add another cookie and spread 1/3 of the filling on it

Repeat again with the final portion of filling

Top with the last cookie.

Cut into 2 inch squares and sprinkle with XXX sugar or XXX sugar mixed with cocoa powder.

Anka says, "A little whipped cream on the top doesn't hurt.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone for all of the great photos, links and recipes. Wow!.... what a terrific start to this thread. That Wiener Wein Schnitten sounds awesome, and I've never even heard of Hungarian Zserbo before. You guys have no idea....I am sooooooo excited!!! :biggrin:

Now, wait a minute.  My Kifli always looks good.  My dear mom, bless her soul, made some great looking Kifli.  I guess it can be like prezels, some can look very nice and some so, so.  But it doesn't matter, at least to me, what it looks like, it just has to taste great.

I never said kifli doesn't look good.....or did you mean I posted ugly photos? :laugh: Those were the best ones I could find online within 10 minutes....I'm sure there's better ones out there somewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lets not forget, Rigo Jansci, which is a Hungarian Chocolate cake. Almost as famous as Dobos Torte. There is also an interesting story behind this cake aswell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is another recipe for Zserbo here, with other Hungarian recipes.

Anka is from a town near the Austrian border and says that many of the local recipes are very similar to those found in that part of Austria - She reminds me that once it was all one country.....

:biggrin:

She pronounces this "share-bowe" but says each region has a little bit different accent.

this site shows one with chocolate topping but Anka says they don't make it this way in her home town.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[...]Anka says, "A little whipped cream on the top doesn't hurt.

Hungarians like their tejszinhabb (whipped cream). :biggrin:

Austrians too; as ludja's old sig said, "Immer mit Schlag." (Always with whipped cream.)

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm Romanian... but I live in US... these are traditional Moldavian pastries by the name of "Poale'n brau".

These are made by me.

Filled with homemade cottage cheese and raisins.

63435860O764623161.jpg

Edited by MamaC (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I love about Israel is that I can get pastries from all over the world, including the ones above. But, of course we have holiday pastries, such as:

gallery_8006_298_216133.jpg

Hamentaschen for Purim

gallery_8006_298_1102490229.jpg

Sufganyiot for Hannukah

Middle Eastern Pastries:

gallery_8006_298_1100988291.jpg

gallery_8006_298_1100983551.jpg

gallery_8006_298_1100981277.jpg

And to skip to another country there is Panettone:

gallery_8006_298_1105728278.jpg

Edited by Swisskaese (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

there are many examples of Dutch pastries in the Dutch Cooking thread.. here's one that is really delicious:

Gevulde koeken, buttery pastry with an almond paste filling

Just pulled mine out of the oven after being inspired by the pic of these last night. I followed the recipe to the letter, but still had some problems. I had to bake about 7 minutes longer. Taste was great but I think i should have returned the dough to the fridge to firm it up more, they melted out more than the ones in the picture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

there are many examples of Dutch pastries in the Dutch Cooking thread.. here's one that is really delicious:

Gevulde koeken, buttery pastry with an almond paste filling

Just pulled mine out of the oven after being inspired by the pic of these last night. I followed the recipe to the letter, but still had some problems. I had to bake about 7 minutes longer. Taste was great but I think i should have returned the dough to the fridge to firm it up more, they melted out more than the ones in the picture.

someone else had the same problem, but other people made them and they did not spread.. I wonder what causes that?

Edited by Chufi (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

someone else had the same problem, but other people made them and they did not spread.. I wonder what causes that?

In the same way that not chilling the dough will cause cookies to spread, so will not preheating the oven. That might be it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can find more info about them at this thread

as well as a photographic step-by-step, courtesy of myself eheh

The second link didn't work for me but I did fid the step-by-step by Filipe and here it is on post #32:

Filipe's Step-by-step instructions for "pastéis-de-nata". It's much easier to see it than to read about it.

Thanks Filipe!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a less well known but very typical dessert  from Vienna that is on my list to make:

"Wiener Weinschnitten" 

Literally "Viennese Wine Slices" these are puffy crepes folded over a generous and thick filling of an Austrian white wine chilled zabaglione-type concoction (Weinchadeau) that is folded with a generous amount of "Schlag" or whipped cream. 

Drink this with a "Kleiner Brauner" (demitass of espresso w/a dash of milk) at your next Kaffeklatsch...

Check out this gorgeous photo at Saveur online: click

And here's a recipe:  Wiener Weinschnitten

(Hmmm.... maybe these would be nice for Easter...)

edited to add: Here is a thread on "Favorite Austrian and Hungarian Tortes and Pastries": click

You don't happen to have any recipe on the IMPERIAL TORTE, do you? :)

Filipe A S

pastry student, food lover & food blogger

there's allways room for some more weight

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a less well known but very typical dessert  from Vienna that is on my list to make:

"Wiener Weinschnitten" 

...

edited to add: Here is a thread on "Favorite Austrian and Hungarian Tortes and Pastries": click

You don't happen to have any recipe on the IMPERIAL TORTE, do you? :)

No, and unfortunately I've not tasted one yet either! For other's, it is a signature cake from a venerable old hotel in Vienna. Do you know, Filipe, if the cake is only served at the hotel or have you seen it in other places as well?

Here is a description from the hotel's website from which you can also purchase the cake: click

Legend has it that a young apprentice cook invented the Imperial Torte in

honour of Emperor Franz Joseph I. It was the year of the opening of the

Hotel Imperial, 1873.

The recipe is a closely guarded secret but here is a glimpse behind it. The

first thing you come across is a delicious milk-chocolate glaze, which

surrounds the exquisite almond flavour of marzipan and a slight hint of cocoa

creme.

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I once got some onion-filled sweet pastries from a Filipino bakery in town. No idea what they were called. No one who ate them ever guessed what the filling was.

"You dont know everything in the world! You just know how to read!" -an ah-hah! moment for 6-yr old Miss O.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I once got some onion-filled sweet pastries from a Filipino bakery in town. No idea what they were called. No one who ate them ever guessed what the filling was.

They're called hopia and are supposedly derived from Chinese mooncakes, although the shape, pastry, and fillings are different! They're very popular here in Hawaii and even supermarkets carry them.

A recipe for hopia with mung bean filling is here.

[Edited cause I can't spell.]

Edited by SuzySushi (log)

SuzySushi

"She sells shiso by the seashore."

My eGullet Foodblog: A Tropical Christmas in the Suburbs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, and unfortunately I've not tasted one yet either!  For other's, it is a signature cake from a venerable old hotel in Vienna.  Do you know, Filipe, if the cake is only served at the hotel or have you seen it in other places as well?

I know that they sell them online at the Imperial Hotel website, every size you want they deliver it to you by post. Besides that and buying it there at the hotel, I know that Fortnum & Mason's selling them as well.

Let me say that I think this as one of the most awesome and delicious pastry items I've ever tried.

gallery_40488_2237_17139.jpg

gallery_40488_2237_6242.jpg

Filipe A S

pastry student, food lover & food blogger

there's allways room for some more weight

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let me say that I think this as one of the most awesome and delicious pastry items I've ever tried.

Is there any chance we could get a close-up shot of the cake composition? The Web site mentions the glaze, marzipan and cocoa creme, but not how the cake is layered (?) inside.

Thanks.

Baker of "impaired" cakes...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there any chance we could get a close-up shot of the cake composition? The Web site mentions the glaze, marzipan and cocoa creme, but not how the cake is layered (?) inside.

Thanks.

I don't have any more pics but I'm going to London in less than one month and I'm planning tu buy another one at Fortnum and Mason's. I'll then take some better pics. It's layered in very thin layers of cocoa creme and what seems to be an almond+cocoa cake, then covered with the marzipan and then the milk chocolate.

Filipe A S

pastry student, food lover & food blogger

there's allways room for some more weight

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have any more pics but I'm going to London in less than one month and I'm planning tu buy another one at Fortnum and Mason's. I'll then take some better pics. It's layered in very thin layers of cocoa creme and what seems to be an almond+cocoa cake, then covered with the marzipan and then the milk chocolate.

That would be great! Thanks for the description as well.

-Kenji

Baker of "impaired" cakes...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...