History of Baumkuchen
ORIGIN OF THE BAUMKUCHEN
As early as the Middle Ages, there were breads in which the dough was wrapped around a skewer and baked over an open fire. These are more likely the forerunners of today's stick bread or stick dough.
Some historians attribute the first Baumkuchen to the Hungarians, while others attribute it to the Greeks. The first known and preserved recipe comes from an Italian cookbook from 1426. The oldest surviving German-language recipe dates back to 1450, when Baumkuchen was a popular wedding pastry among the patricians in Nuremberg and Frankfurt am Main. The dough was laid in layers around a rotating wooden roller. It was first referred to as "Baumkuchen" in 1682 in the cookbook of the personal physician to Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg.
In the 16th century, the production method changed. The dough was no longer wrapped in layers, but was attached to the roller as a whole with strings. The strings created indentations that resulted in the rings that are still typical today. A century later, the process approached the current production method, with a thin, fluid mass being applied layer by layer to a rotating roller.
The individual rings were then created by removing the dough with a wooden comb. Despite the laborious production process, Baumkuchen was primarily baked in private settings. The first forms of finishing are documented from this period, such as a glaze made from sugar and rose water.
As early as the 18th century, Baumkuchen was being made in German-speaking countries using its current recipe: butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. Back then, it was usually sprinkled with grated chocolate or covered with couverture. Around 1800, Baumkuchen became the preserve of confectioners. Subsequently, Berlin was considered the first capital of Baumkuchen. Berlin developed a pull that, from the second half of the 19th century onward, led to mail-order bakeries in Dresden, Cottbus, Stettin, and Salzwedel. To this day, Cottbus and Salzwedel, in particular, have retained their reputation as Baumkuchen suppliers of supra-regional importance.
Baumkuchen around the world
Just as Baumkuchen became popular in the German Empire in the 19th century, it remains as popular in Japan today, for example. The German confectioner Karl Joseph Wilhelm Juchheim was taken prisoner of war to Japan as a result of World War I. He stayed and opened his own confectionery shop in 1921, later establishing the Juchheim confectionery company. For several years, there has been a lively exchange between our factory and Juchheim.
The Baumstriezel, meanwhile, is considered a Hungarian-style Baumkuchen. It essentially shares the same shape as the Baumkuchen only in its round shape, baked on a roller. Yeast is also used in the ingredients, and the dough is wrapped in a spiral shape around a stick in a thin layer. Its history is little researched, but the Baumstriezel is recognized as a traditional pastry primarily in Burzenlan, southern Székely, and Transylvania.
In addition, there are several other cakes in Europe that are similar to Baumkuchen. They belong to the family of European spit cakes. These include the Brandenberger Prügeltorte in Austria, the Kransekage in Denmark and Norway, the Spettekaka in Sweden, the Trdelník in Slovakia, the Sakotis in Lithuania, and the Gateau à la broche in France. Baumkuchen remains largely unknown in English-speaking countries.