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A ''Konditorei'' is a business that typically offers a wide variety of pastries and typically also serves as a café, these are found in many different countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and more. However the culture and function of the ''Konditorei'' may vary based on locations. In Germany, Austria, and
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 ...
it's a popular custom to go in the mid-afternoon to a ''Konditorei'' to have a portion of
cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, ...
and some coffee or hot chocolate to consume on the premises. A similar culture is present in several northern European countries influenced by central European trends, such as Denmark and
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
(however these are called konditori or café/kafé). In order to become a ''Konditor'', the speciality baker for a ''Konditorei'', the profession (in many countries) requires an extensive apprenticeship or speciality training program. In the Czech Republic, such shops are usually called ''cukrárna'' (sugar shop) and their Polish variants are named ''cukiernia'' (same meaning).


About

The primary focus of a ''Konditorei'' is selling pastries, which may be made in-house or brought in from another bakery. They commonly also offer a selection of coffees, soft drinks, and many may also sell alcoholic drinks. Many larger ''Konditorei'' also serve ice cream and chocolates. Apart from its typical menu, a ''Konditorei'' chiefly differs from a
restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
in that opening hours tend to be morning and afternoon, rather than afternoon and evening.


Etymology

A ''Konditorei'' puts emphasis on the artistic aspect of the trade and, unlike a bakery, does not produce
breads Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made food ...
. The craft developed when particular bakers specialised in the creation of sweet bread to which candied fruits and other sweet ingredients were added. The origin of the word ''Konditor'' (the ''Konditorei''’s baker) stems from the Latin word ''candire'', which stands for “candying of fruits”. Another derivation is the Latin word ''conditura'' (condio) = to concoct (food), preservation (of fruits). ''Konditorei'' is the German word for a '' pâtisserie'' or confectionery shop. In
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, Norway and Denmark, the word is spelt ''konditori'' and the term ''konditor'' for a confectioner has been used since the beginning of the 18th century.


History and development of the ''Konditor''


''Lebkuchen''

The profession of the ''Konditor'' developed from that of the
baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...
. Once the bakers of medieval times (15th century) mastered the art of baking bread, some started to enrich the dough with honey, dried fruits and spices. These specialists called themselves Lebküchler, Lebküchner or Lebzelter. They founded a guild in 1643 in the area in and around
Nürnberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ci ...
, Germany. At the same time, the ''
Lebkuchen (), or , are a honey-sweetened German cake molded cookie or bar cookie that has become part of Germany's Christmas traditions. It is similar to gingerbread. Etymology The etymology of ''Leb-'' in the term ''Lebkuchen'' is uncertain. Pro ...
'' bakers ran a second trade using wax, a side product of honey: they became chandlers, supplying churches and private households with artistic candles, wax figures and pictures made of wax. They carved wooden molds themselves and used these to pour magnificent pictures made of wax. A few Konditoreien practiced the sophisticated art of the chandlers until recent times. The Lebküchner were turned to confectioners later and finally became Konditoreien.


Sugar and spices

The maritime trade brought spices and
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 ...
from the Eastern world to the famous Italian harbor towns of Genoa and
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  ...
. Although sugar had an immense appeal, only the rich were privileged to consume it. The profession of confectioner was related to that of the
pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
because the trade with sugar was exclusive to pharmacists. The German word “Konfekt” (English: confection) to describe sweets stems from the language of the drug makers, which were also called confectionari.


Production of marzipan

In the 14th century, the Venetians introduced
marzipan Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzi ...
, a confection made from almonds, sugar and
rose water Rose water ( fa, گلاب) is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil Rose oil (rose otto, attar of rose, attar of rose ...
, to central Europe. Marzipan was an ideal material for moulding magnificent pictures from, which were artistically painted with plant colouring and often decorated with
gold leaf Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-kara ...
.


Chocolate

At the start of the 19th century, chocolate first made its way to Germany, after the ladies of the upper classes in Spain, Italy and France had long been used to a daily cup of hot chocolate. When the Dutchman
Coenraad Johannes van Houten Coenraad Johannes van Houten (15 March 1801 – 27 May 1887) was a Dutch chemist and chocolate maker known for the treatment of cocoa mass with alkaline salts to remove the bitter taste and make cocoa solids more water-soluble; the resulting pro ...
managed to press out the
cocoa mass Chocolate liquor (cocoa liquor) is pure cocoa mass (cocoa paste) in solid or semi-solid form. Like the cocoa beans (nibs) from which it is produced, it contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter in roughly equal proportion. It is produced fr ...
, the additional ingredients cocoa butter and
cocoa powder Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...
were created. The chocolate thinned with cocoa butter was used to pour a variety of figures, and painting cakes with cocoa powder became popular. The trade of the “Chocolatier”, a Konditor specialised in working with chocolate, was born. Chocolate now played a major role in the Konditorei. A good example is the chocolate cake created by
Franz Sacher Franz Sacher (19 December 1816 – 11 March 1907) was an Austrian confectioner, best known as the inventor of the Sachertorte. Biography According to Sacher's son Eduard, in 1832 Austria's minister of foreign affairs, Prince Metternich, ordere ...
, who was the chocolate cook for
Klemens von Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...
in Vienna in 1832.


Pastries

The abundance of sugar through the native
sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...
in the 19th century lead to the development of cakes and pastries, with focus taken off decorative art. Light sponge cakes, almond pastries,
apple strudel Apple strudel (german: Apfelstrudel; cz, štrúdl; Yiddish: שטרודל) is a traditional Viennese strudel, a popular pastry in Austria, Bavaria, the Czech Republic, Northern Italy, Slovenia, and other countries in Europe that once belonged to ...
or milk-cream strudel, Gugelhupf, and cream cakes were served with then modern drinks such as coffee, tea and chocolate.


Notable konditors

* Nicolas Appert, French inventor of food preservation *, Munich baker and inventor of Prinzregententorte * Johann Zauner (1803–1868) * Anton Gerstner * Christoph
Demel Demel (colloquially ''der Demel'') is a famous pastry shop and chocolaterie established in 1786 in Vienna, Austria. The company bears the title of a Purveyor to the Imperial and Royal Court (''k.u.k. Hofzuckerbäcker'') up to today. Location ...
* Ludwig Heiner * Louis Lehmann *
Wilhelm J. Sluka __NOTOC__ Wilhelm J. Sluka or the Conditorei Sluka is a famous and café in Vienna, and a traditional k.u.k. Hoflieferant. It is located at Rathausplatz 8 (previously Reichsratsstrasse 13) in the Districts of Vienna, first district of Vienna, ...
(1861–1932) *
Anton Rumpelmayer Anton Rumpelmayer ( in Pressburg, Austria – in Saint-Martin-Vésubie, France) was an Austrian confectioner and ("Purveyor to the Royal and Imperial Court", equivalent in the United Kingdom to holding a Royal warrant of appointment). He wo ...
(1832–1914) * Amaury Guichon (* 1991) *
Natalie Sideserf Natalie Marie Sideserf (née Elliott; born on January 7, 1985) is an American artist, teacher and chef specializing in Hyperreality (art), hyper-realistic cake sculpting techniques. Sideserf has received national and global acclaim for her reali ...
(* 1985)


See also

* Bakery *
Coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
* ''
Schlagobers ''Schlagobers'' (''Whipped Cream''), Op. 70, is a ballet in two acts with a libretto and score by Richard Strauss. Composed in 1921–22, it was given its première at the Vienna State Opera on 9 May 1924. Background While serving as co-direc ...
'',
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
' ballet, set in a konditorei


References


External links

* {{Authority control Types of coffeehouses and cafés German words and phrases German cuisine