Kringle

Kringle(/ˈkrɪŋɡəl/,listen) is aNorthern Europeanpastry, a variety ofpretzel. Pretzels were introduced by Roman Catholic monks in the 13th century inDenmark, and from there they spread throughout Scandinavia and evolved into several kinds of sweet, salty or filled pastries, all in the shape of kringle.
InDanishandNorwegian, the word iskringle, pluralkringler;Estonian:kringel, pluralkringlid;Latvian:kliņģeris, pluralkliņģeri;Swedish:kringla, pluralkringlor;Finnish:rinkeli, pluralrinkelit;German:KringelandIcelandic:kringla. The word originates from theOld Norsekringla, meaning ring or circle.
In theNetherlands, a particular type of sweet kringle is well known under theDutchnamekrakeling.
The shape of the kringle has given name to a similarly entangled feature found in someproteins, the so-calledkringle domain.
In Denmark,kringledenotes thepretzel-like knotted shape rather than the pretzel pastry type. Kringler may be made frompuff pastry(likeDanish pastry) oryeastdough, filled withremonceormarzipanandraisins, sprinkled with coarse sugar, nut flakes or icing.
Other types of kringles in Scandinavia includesaltkringler, which are small salty kringler - the Scandinavian equivalent of pretzels -, andkommenskringlerwhich are half-hand-sized breads in the kringle shape, made from unsweetened yeast dough spiced withcarawayseeds.Sukkerkringlerare similar, but sweet pretzels, sprinkled with sugar instead of caraway.Fødselsdagskringlerare a large sweet bread pretzel for birthday celebrations.Smørkringlerare large crusty and sweet pretzels with a spread of butter on the backside. Smørkringler are not as popular nowadays.
Kringler are pastries with a long history in Denmark, and are still popular items in modern Danish bakeries. Nowadays, kringles are usually made with only one crossing and not two, as in the original kringle and pretzel shape.
In theUnited States, kringles are hand-rolled from Danish pastry dough (wienerbrøddough) that has been rested overnight before shaping, filling, and baking.Many sheets of the flaky dough are layered, then shaped into an oval. After filling with fruit, nut, or other flavor combinations, the pastry is baked and iced.
Racine, Wisconsin, has historicallybeen a center of Danish-American culture and kringle-making.A typical Racine-made kringle is a large, flat oval measuring approximately 14 inches by 10 inches (35 cm by 25 cm) and weighing about 1.5 lb (680 g).The kringle became the official state pastry ofWisconsinon June 30, 2013.A Wisconsin distillery inMiddleton, Wisconsin, makes a kringle-flavoredcream liqueurfrom Wisconsin cream, rum, sugar, and natural kringle flavor.
In other parts of the United States, kringle may refer to a slightly sweet buttermilk cookie shaped like a pretzel or figure eight.
Other places where kringles may be found in the United States include theBallardarea ofSeattle, Washington;Redmond, Washington;Solvang, California;Story City, Iowa;Burr Ridge, Illinois;Springfield, Missouri, andWatertown, Massachusetts.In 2005,Dana CollegeinBlair, Nebraska, held a Kringle Kontest, which was won by Kirsten's Danish Bakery in Burr Ridge, Illinois.
Baker'sguildsinEuropehave used the kringle or pretzel as a symbol for centuries. It is told (but currently unconfirmed by historic documents), that whenVienna was besiegedby the Turkish Ottoman armies in 1529, local bakers working in the night gave the city defence an early warning of the attacking enemy. For this, they were later rewarded by thePope, with permission to use a crown as part of their kringle guild symbol.
The guild in Denmark is now the only baker's guild in the world with official authority to display aroyal crownas part of their baker's guild trade symbol that is often hung outside of bakery shops.