Allerheiligenstriezel or simply Strietzel (regional names include ''Allerseelenzopf'', ''Seelenspitze'', ''Seelenbrot'', or ''Allerseelenbreze'') is a braided yeast pastry. Its name means "All Saints' braid" in English and it consists of

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 ...

, eggs, yeast, shortening or butter, raisins, milk, salt, and decorating sugar or

poppy seed Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy (''Papaver somniferum''). The tiny, kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years. It is still widely used in many countries, ...

s. Some regional variations also include rum or lemon juice. The word ''Strietzel'' is derived from Middle High German ''strutzel'', ''strützel'', in turn from Old High German ''struzzil''. Its further origin is unclear.

History

The first known mention of Striezel in the form of ''Heiligenstriezel'' comes from a ''Nachrichtenbuech'' (lit. news book) from Saxen in Upper Austria. The early versions of this bread were unbraided and made with a simple dough of wheat with eggs, fat and honey. In later years more complicated braided loaves became customary. In 1840, ''

Der Österreichische Zuschauer Der or DER may refer to: Places * Darkənd, Azerbaijan * Dearborn (Amtrak station) (station code), in Michigan, US * Der (Sumer), an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq * d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, an oceanic ridge in the south-west Pacific Oc ...

'' described a custom among Viennese to exchange the braided loaves on All Saint's Day. In 1929, the mastery of different types of braiding were added to the Bakers Master Examination Regulations in Upper Austria.

Traditions

In Austria and Bavaria it is given to

godchild In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelong ...

ren by their godfathers for All Saints' Day. This tradition has its origin in the ancient funeral cults in which mourning was expressed by a woman's cutting off her braided hair. In the 19th century, it was common to give this rich kind of cake to the poor due to a depiction by the Austrian (

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

) vernacular writer Peter Rosegger. Especially for children in rural areas, the present meant a compensation for poor food and hungry times throughout the year. Also common (especially in Linz) was the

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

that the luck of the forthcoming year depends on the success of the pastry. If the yeast did not work and the dough did not rise, disaster or death were supposed to follow. Another practice of young men was to mock single women because of their singleness by giving them ''Striezels'' made of

straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a number ...

. In Dresden, the cake is now generally called ''Dresdner hristtollen'', ''

Stollen Stollen ( or ) is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar and often containing marzipan. It is a traditional German Christmas bread. During the Christmas season the cake-like loaves ...

'' being an unplaited German cake with a similar recipe. However, its name in the city used to be ''Dresdner Striezel'', and from 1434 gave its name to the Dresdner Striezelmarkt (Dresden Striezel Market). A cake of that name is still (2014) baked in Dresden as a Christmas speciality.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 German breads Austrian cuisine Bavarian cuisine German pastries Cakes Allhallowtide Braided egg breads Christmas food

History

Traditions

See also

References