The Bündner Nusstorte (Graubünden nut pastry), also known as Engadiner Nusstorte, is a traditional sweet, caramelised nut-filled pastry (generally walnut) from

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

Graubünden in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The modern filled Nusstorte was first widely available in the 1960s though it was invented in the 1920s.

History

While there are recipes for ''Nusstorte'' from the 19th century, they are different from the modern ''Nusstorte''. These pastries contained nuts mixed into a dough, but were not filled. The modern, filled ''Nusstorte'' was developed by an Engadin (a region in Graubünden) baker named Fausto Pult in 1926. In 1934 he sold the pastries at the '' Mustermesse'' in Basel, which introduced them to the wider world. Because the climate in Graubünden is too cold for nut trees to thrive, the origin of nuts in their pastries is subject to some debate. One theory is that a baker, who had lived in France, brought nut trees back with him which he was able to plant in Val Bregaglia. Another theory, that comes up often in the literature, is that the traditional shortcrust pastry ''Fuatscha Grassa'' was crossed with a French nut pastry by confectioners from Graubünden living in France. When they returned to Graubünden, the idea was brought along. A third theory is that during the Middle Ages many confectioners from Graubünden moved to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and for 300 years specialized in sweets. When they were expelled in 1766, the Graubünden confectioners traveled around Europe before many of them settled back in Graubünden. The idea of nut pastries could have easily come from one of these wandering cooks. Engadiner Nusstorte

Production

The Bündner Nusstorte is commonly made by small independent bakers scattered throughout Graubünden. For this reason, there are a variety of recipes, some of which are closely guarded secrets. The basic pastry is made of a classic shortcrust pastry, which contains

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

, butter and a bit of salt. The filling is made of caramelized sugar, to which heavy cream or milk and coarsely chopped nuts (commonly walnuts but rarely other

nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...

) are added. Some recipes include a little milk or honey. The Bündner Nusstorte is produced throughout the entire canton and is one of the largest export items for independent bakers. It is estimated that Nusstorten sales represent 20 to 40% of the total sales for many bakers and are a major source of income. Nowadays Bündner Nusstorte is also available at the supermarket chains like Coop.

Consumption

The Nusstorte, with a buttery crust and cream and nut filling, is loaded with

calorie The calorie is a unit of energy. For historical reasons, two main definitions of "calorie" are in wide use. The large calorie, food calorie, or kilogram calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of on ...

s. They are generally cut into pieces and eaten for dessert together with coffee or tea. They can be purchased throughout the year and are widely available over the internet. The Nusstorte will remain fresh for several months, which makes them popular as gifts and allows them to be shipped around the world.

References

External sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bundner Nusstorte Culinary Heritage of Switzerland Swiss pastries Walnut dishes Culture of Graubünden

History

Production

Consumption

See also

References

External sources