A Schneeball () or Schneeballen (plural: ''Schneebälle'' () and ''Schneeballen'' respectively), snowball in English, is a deep-fried pastry made from shortcrust pastry especially popular in the area of

Rothenburg ob der Tauber Rothenburg ob der Tauber () is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia), the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. It is well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the w ...

. Its name derives from its round, ball-like shape, its diameter of about eight to ten centimeters, and its traditional decoration with white

confectioner's sugar Powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar, or icing sugar, is a finely ground sugar produced by milling granulated sugar into a powdered state. It usually contains between 2% and 5% of an anti-caking agent – such as corn starch, ...

. It is also known as a (stork's nest).

History

This kind of pastry has been known for at least 400 years in the regions of Franconia and Hohenlohe (northeast of Baden-Württemberg) where it is very popular. Served only on special occasions such as weddings in the past; they are nowadays available throughout the year and can be found around

in bakeries, pastry shops, and cafes. In the town itself there are even companies that specialize in the pastry, constantly coming out with new variations. Beside the classical ones dusted with confectioner's sugar, there are recipes glazed with chocolate and nuts or filled with

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 ...

. As the pastry is considered the signature dish of the town, it is a very common souvenir.

Preparation

The main ingredients are

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,

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 ...

, butter, cream, and plum schnaps. To give it the characteristic shape, the dough is rolled out and cut into even strips with a dough cutter. The strips are then arranged alternately over and under a stick, or the handle of a wooden spoon. Eventually the stick is lifted and slowly removed while the dough strips are formed into a loose ball. Using a special round holder called a ''Schneeballeneisen'' in order to retain the shape, the ball is deep-fried in boiling fat until golden brown, and finally dusted with confectioner's sugar while warm. The schneeball is a dry, cookie-like pastry, so it has a long shelf life - about eight weeks without refrigeration.

Gallery

File:Schneebälle - IMG 6998.JPG, Schneeballen display, with the specialized holder for deep frying File:RodT Schneebälle 7021.jpg, Schneebälle in Rothenburg ob der Tauber File:Schneebälle shop Seoul.jpg, Schneebälle shop in an underground shopping center in Seoul, South Korea

References

External links

{{pastries Bavarian cuisine German pastries Swabian cuisine