''Tirggel'' are traditional

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from

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

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 ...

. Made from

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 ...

and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

, they are thin, hard, and sweet.

History

''Tirggel'' are first recorded in Zürich as ''Dirgel'' in 1461. They have been manufactured there ever since with elaborately carved wooden moulds depicting Biblical or regional themes. More recently, the wooden moulds—four of which are exhibited in the

Swiss National Museum The Swiss National Museum (german: Landesmuseum)—part of the ''Musée Suisse Group'', itself affiliated with the Federal Office of Culture, is located in the city of Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, next to the Hauptbahnhof. The museum bui ...

—have been replaced by

polycarbonate Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...

casts, which are easier to handle.

Preparation

Tirggel dough is composed of flour, 29 percent honey, some sugar and water; although one source reports that it is or was made without sugar, which is taken to be an indication of the ''tirggel'''s pre-Christian origins. The dough is pressed very thinly into elaborately carved moulds of varying shapes and sizes. The biscuits are baked in a high-temperature oven at for only 90 seconds and require good timing to get right.

Consumption

Because ''tirggel'' are hard and dry, they are best when sucked on for a while, which allows the honey flavour to become more pronounced. ''Tirggel'' are also very durable. Swiss writer Emanuel Stickelberger reported in 1939 that "the ''tirggel'' has the admirable quality of not becoming stale, and the harder it gets, the more enjoyable is it to nibble on." On account of their elaborate ornamentation, traditionally manufactured ''tirggel'' are often not eaten at all for months or years and are kept as decorations instead.

References

External links

* * Hans-Peter Schifferle, Christoph Landolt
''Wienachtsguetsli – die Klassiker''
in: ''Wortgeschichte'' of December 15, 2016, published by ''Schweizerisches Idiotikon''. {{Portal bar, Food, Switzerland Christmas food Biscuits Swiss cuisine Culture of Zürich Culinary Heritage of Switzerland Swiss confectionery

History

Preparation

Consumption

See also

References

Further reading

External links