Guide to German Cookies and Cakes - Germanfoods.org Guide to German Cookies and Cakes for german speaking exporters Guide to German Cookies and Cakes German cookies and cakes are known all over the world, not only for their quality but also because of their uniqueness. The selection of premium ingredients combined with recipes which have been perfected in family-owned businesses for generations guarantee the extraordinary flavor of the baked goods. Compared to American cookies and cakes you will find that products from Germany are usually less sweet than their American counterparts. The cookie assortment in Germany ranges from The cookie assortments range from crisp wafer creations to rich butter cookies with layered or glazed with delicious chocolate. The cookies come in various shapes, some of which are unique to the respective companies (a popular example would be the Bahlsen butter cookie with its 52 “teeth”). The variety of German cakes is truly remarkable and ranges from simple pound cakes all the way to elaborate cakes (Torten) which are either made with whipped cream or buttercream. German Christmas specialties enjoy great popularity all around the globe. The most well-known seasonal baked goods are the ubiquitous Stollen (yeast sweetbread with dried fruits and nuts)and highest quality gingerbread (Lebkuchen).

Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich) This is a sheet cake made with a Hefeteig (sweet yeast dough) filled with vanilla custard, glazed with a honey mixture and sprinkled with almonds. The cake gets its name “Bienenstich” (Bee Sting) from the honey glaze and the thin pieces of almonds. Please see recipe here. For baking mixes, click here . Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) Black Forest Cake is perhaps Germany’s most well-known and most-loved cake. It consists of a chocolate cake with a filling of fresh cream and cherries soaked in Kirschwasser, a clear cherry schnaps that is a specialty in the Black Forest. The cake is decorated with cream, chocolate shavings and cherries. While this cake bears the name of the area of Germany known as the Black Forest, a pastry chef from Bad Godesberg, near Bonn, claims to have invented it in 1915. He was originally from Lake Constance, which is in the Black Forest, so maybe that’s why he named it Black Forest Cake. There are a number of other theories as to how the cake got its name.

Firstly, the chocolate shavings on the top of the cake resemble a black forest. Then, perhaps, the name was thought up because the cake contains Kirschwasser, which is a specialty of the Black Forest. And last but not least, there’s a theory that the name came from the traditional dress of the women in the Black Forest which consists of a black dress, white blouse and a hat with a white base and red balls on top resembling the cherries. Please see recipe here. Butter Cake/ Sugar Cake (Butterkuchen/ Zuckerkuchen) Butterkuchen (Butter Cake) or Zuckerkuchen (Sugar Cake) is a simple sheet cake made with a Hefeteig (sweet yeast dough). Small holes are pressed into the dough with your fingers and butter is spread over the top. It then gets sprinkled with sugar and almonds. It’s a popular cake at both weddings and funerals and is sometimes referred to either as Freud- und Leidkuchen (Joy and Sympathy Cake) or as Beerdigungskuchen (Funeral Cake). It is especially popular in Northern Germany and in Westphalia. Please see recipe here . For baking mixes, click here .

Cheese Cake (Käsekuchen) Genuine German cheesecake is made with Quark cheese. It’s sometimes also called Quarkkuchen or Quarktorte in Switzerland. In Austria it’s known as Topfenkuchen. For variety, berries such as raspberries or blueberries can be added, as can cherries and raisins. Please see recipe here. Donut (Krapfen / Berliner) Known as Pfannkuchen in Berlin and large parts of Eastern Germany, Kreppel in Hessen, Krapfen in Southern Germany and Berliner in much of Western Germany, the jelly-filled donut is a pastry which enjoys great popularity. Especially during the carnival season, which is known as Fasching, Karneval or Fastnacht (again depending on the region), you’ll find bakeries on every street corner offering piles of various types of donuts, most filled with jam but also with vanilla cream and chocolate. Please see recipe here. The “Berliner” jelly donut has become the involuntary subject of a popular urban legend surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 speech in West Berlin.

Kennedy famously declared “Ich bin ein Berliner”, thus expressing his solidarity with the people of West Berlin during the Cold War in an emotionally very effective way. While it is true that the word “Berliner” is used in some parts of Germany (ironically enough not in Berlin) to denote the popular jam-filled pastry, his German sentence was both grammatically correct and perfectly idiomatic. The urban legend which promotes the version that the President’s statement was really translated and understood as “I am a jelly donut” by the people of West Berlin, is prevalent only in English-speaking countries and remains largely unknown in Germany, where JFK’s speech is considered a landmark in the country’s postwar history. You can find the text, audio and video footage of JFK’s speech here “> Frankfurt Wreath (Frankfurter Kranz) Frankfurter Kranz or Frankfurt Wreath is a wreath-shaped cake from Frankfurt. It consists of a butter cake which gets split into 2 – 4 layers after baking. The individual layers are spread with buttercream and red jam. It’s decorated with more buttercream and Krokant which is a mixture of nuts that have been browned in butter with a little sugar. Please see recipe here.

Gingerbread (Lebkuchen) Germany’s world-famous Lebkuchen is a richly-spiced gingerbread made with honey, flour, sugar, eggs, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, candied orange and lemon peel, marzipan and spices like cinnamon, ginger, aniseed, cloves, pimento, coriander and cardamom. Please see recipe here. Although gingerbread has been baked in Europe for centuries, of all the European countries, Germany is the one with the longest and strongest gingerbread tradition, especially in regards to the flat shaped gingerbreads known as Lebkuchen. Lebkuchen were first baked in the city of Nuremberg in 1395. In 1643, Nuremberg created a Lebkuchen Baker’s Guild, which began with 14 master gingerbread bakers who were required to make the gingerbread following strict guidelines. Up until 1867, Lebkuchen was made by hand. Today most Lebkuchen is made by machine, however, many of Nuremburg’s bakeries still produce some of their Lebkuchen specialties by hand.

Today around 2,000 Lebkuchen per minute are produced in Nuremberg by approximately 4,000 employees. Some are made by major companies and some by family-run bakeries, but all use traditional recipes passed down from generation to generation. The oldest gingerbread recipe from the 16th century is housed in the Germanic National Museum. In 1996, Nuremberg gingerbread was declared a “protected geographical indication”. Since then only Lebkuchen from the city of Nuremberg can be called “Nuremberger Lebkuchen”. Lebkuchen comes in many shapes and sizes. Classical Gingerbread can be distinguished between the so called “braune Lebkuchen” (without wafer) and Elisen Lebkuchen (with wafer). Gingerbread spice is also used when it comes to the production of many other christmas specialties: Pfeffernüsse (sugar-glazed gingerbread cookies), Dominosteine (chocolate-coated spiced Lebkuchen cubes with a jelly and marzipan filling) and small gingerbread creations in the form of hears, stars and christmas trees.

Gugelhupf (Gugelhupf) A Gugelhupf is a southern German, Austrian, but also a Swiss term for a type of cake known in the US as a Bundt Cake. Gugelhupf consists of a soft yeast dough with raisins and almonds in it and is baked in a special form known in the US as a Bundt Pan. Please see recipe here. Springerle (Springerle) Springerle are white, anise-flavored cookies They are originally from Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and are traditionally eaten at Christmas time particularly in southern Germany and Austria. Please see recipe here . Stollen (Stollen) Stollen is a rich, sweet yeast bread that is full of dried fruit, nuts and often marzipan and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. It is Germany’s answer to “fruitcake” and has been made in Germany since 1329. The most famous kind of Stollen, which can be found at most local supermarkets, is called Dresdner Christstollen, originating in Dresden, Germany. The Stollen is a typical christmas cake.

Its shape and the shell of confectioner’s sugar is said to represent the Baby Jesus wrapped in sheets. Please see recipe here . Tree Cake (Baumkuchen) The Baumkuchen, or “Tree Cake” is a popular special occasion and wedding cake. It looks like a tower of irregular rings with a coating of white or dark chocolate icing. It comes from the German town of Salzwedel and was created in 1820. Baumkuchen is built up with layers of batter which are consecutively spread and baked. When the cake is cut into wedges, it resembles the rings of a tree trunk due to the seveal layers. Please see recipe here . Vanillekipferl (Vanillekipferl) Vanillekipferl are small, crescent shaped cookies flavored with vanilla and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Traditionally, they are made at Christmas and originated from Austria. What's eaten for Christmas dinner around the world? What's eaten for Christmas dinner around the world?

Festive favourite: the Germans love a slice of stollen at Christmas Credit: Andrew Crowley Leah Hyslop 16 December 2015 • 12:00pm When it comes to Christmas dinner in Britain, there’s not much variation. Turkey with all the trimmings, followed by a mountain of Christmas pudding that sits in your stomach like a suet cannonball, is as traditional as the Queen’s Speech and a family row. Around the world, however, people tuck into all sorts of weird and wonderful festive fare. In much of Europe, the main meal is held on December 24, and there’s not a speck of turkey to be seen. In Poland, people tuck into an enormous banquet called Wigilia , or the Star Supper, featuring dishes such as borscht and dumplings. In Italy, most families avoid meat on Christmas Eve in favour of The Feast of the Seven Fishes, where delicacies such as fried eel are the star of the show (pasta and meat dishes such as il cotechino, a sausage made from pig’s intestines, are served the next day).

In Germany, where roast goose and red cabbage are the kings of the Christmas table, legend has it that those who do not dine well on Christmas Eve will be haunted by demons – so there’s no excuse not to squeeze in that extra slice of stollen. Some of the most eyebrow-raising Christmas food comes from Iceland, where it’s not unusual to be served puffin or roasted reindeer – something that must lead to rather difficult conversations with children about Rudolph. Still, it sounds better than the menu on December 23: as the last day of Christmas fasting, meat is traditionally outlawed, and boiled potatoes and fermented skate are served instead. So pungent is the fish that many people choose to eat out in a restaurant, rather than risk making their home smell. Fishy business: the 'Feast of the Seven Fishes' is a Christmas Eve tradition in Italy Credit: Alamy Slovakia also has some unusual festive favourites, such as kapustnica, a thick sauerkraut soup, and fried carp.

So central to Christmas, in fact, is the carp in eastern Europe that many families buy a live one and keep it in the bath until it’s time to cook it – something which makes finding a decent turkey suddenly seem a lot less stressful. Much more appetising is the tradition in France’s Provence region, where 13 desserts are created in honour of Christ and the 12 apostles, and left out for three days for people to nibble on (though would they last that long in British houses?). Over in the East, festive traditions get even stranger. Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan, where less than one per cent of the population is Christian, but there is one Yuletide ritual they love: KFC. A clever marketing campaign by the fast-food chain in the Seventies convinced the Japanese that Christmas and the Colonel were inextricable (the slogan was “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!”, or “Kentucky for Christmas!”) and people queue around the block to get their hands on a festive bucket in December. In Egypt, Christians like to gorge on Christmas Eve, often late after mass. Because Egypt still observes the Coptic Calendar, however, this doesn’t take place until January 6.

Many cook a special meal known as fata, a kind of lamb stew with rice, bread and garlic, to get them in the holiday mood. Despite the baking heat, the Australians love a traditional British Christmas. But a picnic or barbecue is just as common and, yes – they do often throw a shrimp or two on the barbie. Pavlova, for some reason, is a popular dessert, though Christmas pudding is also traditional. Back in the days of the gold rush, a lucky gold nugget was often hidden inside the pudding instead of a coin. In the Americas, Christmas can be a spicy business. On Christmas Eve, Mexicans tuck into traditional stews and fish dishes, with spicy tamales (corn dough pastries) and sweet fritters called buñuelos. The Peruvians have a taste for turkey, and as much hot chocolate as they can handle: many organisations hold gatherings in the festive season called chocolatadas, where impoverished locals are treated to the drink, along with sweets and toys.

Spicy stuff: Mexican tamales Credit: Alamy In America, it’s roast all the way – though, due to the fact that Thanksgiving is so close to Christmas, our turkey-stuffed cousins across the pond tend to opt for another meat. A typical American dessert like pumpkin or apple pie is more likely than Christmas pud or mince pies, and controversially, crackers are not a feature. That’s right – no terrible jokes, and no silly hats that slip over your eyes just as you try to take a bite of turkey. They’re definitely missing out. Follow Telegraph Food Premium 18 Jan 2017, 4:33pm Premium 19 Jan 2017, 1:46pm Premium 18 Jan 2017, 4:33pm Stollen history Stollen history Stollen protection A treat for princes and paupers: the history of Dresden Stollen® Dresden Christstollen® is inextricably linked to the history of Dresden and its rich cultural heritage. Whether among kings, princes or the people of Dresden, traditional Dresden stollen has played a significant role throughout the city's past: the history of stollen is the history of culture in Dresden.

Stollen as a food eaten during mediaeval fasting – Dresden Christstollen® is first recorded in 1474 on a bill at St. Bartholomew's, a Christian hospital. At that time, however, there was no thought of festive pleasures: the mediaeval fasting food was made only of flour, yeast and water. The authoritative Catholic church did not allow butter or milk, as a sign of abstention. The butter missive – However, as Saxons have always enjoyed the pleasures of life, Prince Ernst, Elector of Saxony, and his brother Albrecht asked Pope Innocent VIII to revoke the ban on butter. The Holy Father granted them their wish, sending his Butterbrief, or butter missive, to Dresden in 1491. From then on, stollen bakers were also allowed to use richer ingredients. The Striezel und its Christmas market - Dresden Christstollen®, which is also fondly known to the people of Dresden as 'Striezel', is also inextricably linked to Germany's oldest Christmas market: Dresden's Dresdner Striezelmarkt.

It was here, around 1500, that 'Christmas bread' was first sold to the people of Dresden. A royal treat – Dresden stollen gained its reputation as being fit for kings from 1560. Dresden's stollen bakers traditionally presented their sovereign with a festive stollen or two at Christmas. At one ceremony the stollen, weighing in at 36 German pounds, or 18 kilos, was carried through the city to the palace by eight master bakers and eight assistants. The electoral prince Augustus and his giant stollen Augustus the Strong, probably Saxony's most famous electoral prince, was also a self-confessed stollen enthusiast. In 1730, when the court was at the Zeithain Encampment military exercises, he called upon Dresden's bakers to create a giant stollen for him. Some 100 bakers and their assistants combined 3,600 eggs, 326 churns of milk and 20 hundredweight of flour to produce a giant stollen weighing around 1.8 tonnes.

Though – untypically of a stollen – this oversized stollen was baked with eggs, in June, this is nonetheless considered the Baroque precursor of today's Dresden Christstollen®. Even today, the Stollen Festival, which takes place every year in Dresden on the Saturday before the second Sunday of Advent, calls to mind electoral prince Augustus and his giant stollen. It is only since the twentieth century that Dresden Christstollen® has been baked to modern standards of quality. Only high-grade materials and select ingredients are used. The Stollen Association (Schutzverband Dresdner Stollen e.V.) today fights to protect the heritage of Dresden Christstollen®. For more information about the association click here. . Stollen Association The Stollen Association (Schutzverband Dresdner Stollen e.V.) protects the Dresden tradition of stollen baking. Find out more about the BBC Food - Christmas dinner: How traditional will yours be? Continue reading the main story International influences: Stollen is a rich fruit bread or cake from Germany, and Dresden in particular. It is shaped to represent baby Jesus in swaddling clothes. Gravad lax is a Scandinavian cured salmon, involving raw fish sprinkled with dill and salt and weighted.

Originally the fish was buried in barrels or holes in the ground. Panettone is a rich, light Italian bread made with fruit, a speciality of Milan and cylindrical. Buche de Noel, or Yule logs, are traditionally served in France at Christmas. A Genoise sponge is filled with buttercream and rolled. The recipe originated in the 19th Century. During the Georgian period, through much of the 18th Century, a British national cuisine developed. Mince pies, leg of pork, beef, game and plum pudding were all eaten. By the Edwardian period, at the start of the 20th Century, those that had some wealth served roast beef, mince pies, plum pudding, and turkey. But the poor ate goose. Even today, our Christmas meals are constantly evolving, particularly as we adopt foods from around the world. Smoked salmon, a common starter, is a Nordic speciality, known more properly as Gravad lax. Puddings include a host of foreign imports; Yule log has roots in the Buche de Noel of France. Panforte is an Italian dessert, stollen a German fruitcake, panettone from Italy.

"We have the ability to assimilate dishes from other cultures into our own and still keep our Englishness," says Dr Gray. And their popularity is increasing: in the week prior to Christmas, Morrisons supermarket expects to sell 420,000 Yule logs, 84,000 stollen and 62,000 panettone. Projected sales of 25,000 gravad lax packs compares to 4,500 packs it usual sells each week. Marks and Spencer expects to sell more than one million packs of smoked salmon over the Christmas period. Foreign influences Christmas meals around the world Christmas meals around the world by Mark Rogers, Special for USA TODAY | Published on December 15, 2015 Germany knows how to eat – after all, it’s the country that institutionalized the 10 a.m. second breakfast. Germans take a similar approach to Christmas. AMzPhoto, Getty Images/iStockphoto The festivities kick off on the Sunday four weeks before December 24. Germans traditionally celebrate Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, although some regions in Germany prefer to serve the big meal on Christmas Day.

Steffen Oliver Riese Fullscreen The German table groans under the weight of a typical Christmas Eve dinner, which includes potato salad with sausage, spaetzle (pictured), Christmas goose accompanied by red cabbage and German dumplings, raclette (a cheese dish with vegetables), and various types of fondue. Bine N. Try potato salad with sausage at Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten in New Jersey. Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten also serves Kasespatzle with cheese, herbs, onions, smoked speck and cabbage salat. Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten They top this off with Christmasstollen (dried fruit cake), marzipan and mulled wine, and then it’s off to bed, to accomplish a Herculean feat of digestion. Sylvio Dittrich Sweets are shown at Nuremberg, Germany's famous Christkindlmarkt, the holiday market also known as "Christmas City". Steffen Oliver Riese Germans sip traditional mulled wine, a winter favorite, outside the market. O. Franke In Italy, each town or region has its own traditions, from food to festivities.

Tuned_In, Getty Images/iStockphoto As Italian cuisine is different in the northern and southern regions of the country, so too is the way they celebrate Christmas Eve dinner. Antonio Gravante, Getty Images/iStockphoto Both regions start with bowls of broth made hearty with tortellini. bonchan, Getty Images/iStockphoto In the north, this is followed with a poultry course, while in the south they serve fried eel, since for them Christmas Eve is a fasting, no-meat day. yevgenromanenko, Getty Images/iStockphoto For dessert in the north, panettone is often served, a cake filled with nuts and fruit, but much lighter than the traditional belly-busting fruit cake. marilyna, Getty Images/iStockphoto Find a panettone combining traditions from Venice and Milan at New York's Brooklyn Bread Lab, December 16-23, 27-30. Brooklyn Bread Lab In the south, the sweet touch is supplied by zeppole, cannoli, marzipan and a cake called pandoro (pictured), sweet and yeasty bread covered with a snowdrift of vanilla-flavored powdered sugar.

Marzia Giacobbe, Getty Images/iStockphoto A Christmas dinner in Mexico varies from being a sit down affair to a convivial party with a kitchen and living room filled with guests eating off hand held plates. Getty Images/iStockphoto Most Christmas dinners are anchored by the tamale, a classic made with corn masa and a filling that varies from savory to sweet, which is then wrapped in corn husks and steamed. Getty Images/iStockphoto Additional dishes on the menu might include menudo, pozole (pictured) and birria, a spicy goat stew, followed by a dessert of silky flan. Getty Images/iStockphoto Find pozole at New York City's Fonda. Fonda Find caramel flan at El Centro D.F. in Washington, D.C. El Centro D.F. Holiday beverages run the gamut from potent ponche and rum pope to child-friendly atole, a warm drink resembling hot chocolate, but made with corn masa, sugar and spiced with cinnamon. Find atole at Fonda in New York City.

Fonda In Puerto Rico, the Christmas season celebrations stretch from right after Thanksgiving all the way to January 18, when it culminates in the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, Puerto Rico’s version of a Mardis Gras street parade. Puerto Rico Tourism Company Christmas dinner is called Noche Buena Feast, which is served up on Christmas Eve. Puerto Rico Tourism Company Diners can expect to tuck into plates of roast pork, blood sausage, pasteles and arroz con gandules, the classic Caribbean dish of rice with pigeon peas (pictured). Getty Images/iStockphoto Chances are there will be a parade of desserts, especially puddings, such as tembleque (coconut pudding) or arroz con dulce (sweet rice pudding). Getty Images/iStockphoto At some point in the evening, a pitcher of coquito usually appears – a holiday cocktail of coconut milk, spices and rum. Getty Images/iStockphoto In Puerto Rico, find coquito at Mi Casa by Jose Andres in the Ritz-Carlton. Mi Casa by Jose Andres Find coquito at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar in D.C.

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar In the Philippines, the major holiday dinner is served on Christmas Eve after the family has attended the evening Mass, which they call "Misa de Gallo", or the Mass of the Rooster. Getty Images/iStockphoto The centerpiece of the meal is usually a roast ham slathered with a sweet glaze or a whole spit-roasted pig. Getty Images/iStockphoto The table customarily contains a ball of Edam cheese encased in red wax, a Netherlands favorite adopted by Filipinos. Getty Images/iStockphoto The Christmas Eve dinner is filled out with a variety of dishes, including paella, kalderata (a spicy beef stew), and Pancit Malabon (a noodle dish containing shrimp and chicharrón, spiced with Christmas-red annatto seeds). Getty Images Hot chocolate made with fresh cacao is often served, and a dessert favorite is Buko Pandan, a green and white colored gelatin flavored with coconut and pandam leaves. Getty Images/iStockphoto About 1% of the population in Japan is Christian, but this hasn’t stopped many non-Christian Japanese people from enjoying the holiday’s festive and gift-giving traditions.

Yasufumi Nishi, Japan National Tourism Organization Japanese kids look to Santa-san (Mr. Santa) for gifts. Getty Images/iStockphoto A favorite holiday treat is the Japanese Christmas cake, a white sponge cake smothered in cream and topped with festive strawberries. Hue/amanaimagesRF, Getty Images/amana images RF Fullscreen Perhaps the strangest Christmas dinner tradition in the world is Japan’s penchant for sitting down at a table in their local KFC, and dining on fast food fried chicken. The tradition is so popular that KFC restaurants take reservations months in advance. KAZUHIRO NOGI, AFP/Getty Images Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries: Replay Last Slide Next Slide It's a tableau right out of a Norman Rockwell painting, an American family gathered around a long table laden with hearty Christmas dishes. The classic American Christmas meal might include a roast beef, ham or turkey, with sides of mashed potatoes and gravy, turnips and Brussels sprouts. When a family is convinced they can't eat another bite, out comes a heavy dessert, such as pumpkin pie or fruit cake.

Variations of this Christmas dinner are enjoyed around the world, with regional specialties edging out the sweet potatoes or eggnog. Many countries choose to have their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day. Then there are countries with a mindboggling take on what constitutes a traditional Christmas meal, such as Japan, where dinner at a KFC is considered the ultimate way to celebrate the holiday. Browse the gallery above for six cultures' takes on a traditional holiday meal, from Puerto Rico to Japan. Plus, plenty of globally-inspired desserts in the gallery below. Christmas in Austria isn’t complete without vanillekipferl, delicate, crescent-shaped cookies made from ground almonds and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. Helmed by Austrian pastry chef Doris Saha, Mozart’s in Columbus, Ohio bakes up an authentic rendition of the iconic treat. Mozart’s Cafe Mozart’s also offers jam-filled thumbprint cookies, a tasty take on traditional Austrian linzer tortes. Mozart’s Cafe Fullscreen There’s no better place to stock up on the UK’s favorite Christmas treats than Pie Society, a British-owned bakeshop with locations in Savannah and Pooler, Ga.

For an extra touch of tradition, the shop’s rich, warmly-spiced plum puddings should be doused in brandy and set alight just prior to serving. Pie Society Fullscreen It’s believed that Brits have been enjoying mince pies -- sweet pastry tarts filled with dried fruits, orange peel, suet and spices -- since the 13th century. In keeping with tradition, Pie Society recommends serving its version with a healthy dollop of brandy cream. Pie Society Fullscreen Hillcrest Bakery in Bothell, Wash. (a suburb of Seattle) has been baking up traditional Dutch treats since 1965. Do as the Dutch do and celebrate the December 5th arrival of Sinterklaas, or Saint Nicholas, with (clockwise from upper left) crisp, spicy speculaas, fruity kerststol bread, honey-enriched taai-taai cookies, almond-topped gevulde koeken, and almond paste-filled banketstaaf. Hillcrest Bakery Fullscreen Perhaps no other French Christmas sweet is as iconic as the buche de noel, a sponge cake rolled around sweet filling and decorated to look like a yule log. San Francisco’s b.

Patisserie offers pretty, modern buches de noel in flavors like chestnut pear, gingerbread pear, chocolate and salted caramel. b. Patisserie The chocolate buche de noel at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery (locations in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Yountville, Calif.) features a modern twist: The interior sponge cake is layered rather than rolled. Deborah Jones Studio The petite pancake puffs known as aebleskiver are popular throughout the holiday season in Denmark. Can’t wait till Christmas rolls around? Solvang Restaurant in the quaint Danish-style town of Solvang, Calif. offers their raspberry jam-topped aebleskiver year-round. Jan Louy Fullscreen In Finland, Christmas revelers indulge in joulutorttu, pinwheel-shaped tarts filled with prune jam. All year long, Roy’s Pasties & Bakery in Houghton, Mich. -- part of a region with a strong Finnish heritage -- bakes up the tender tarts in traditional prune as well as apricot and raspberry varieties.

Roy’s Pasties & Bakery Fullscreen In Sweden, the soft, fragrant saffron buns known as lussekatter (or Lucia buns) are served on December 13, a day dedicated throughout Scandinavia to Saint Lucia. For an authentic taste of Saint Lucia Day in the USA, pick up a batch of lussekatter at Anoka, Minn.’s Swedish Crown Bakery. Swedish Crown Bakery Swedish Crown Bakery also offers julkaka, a traditional Swedish Christmas bread enriched with sweet candied fruit and aromatic cardamom. Swedish Crown Bakery Also available at Swedish Crown Bakery are pepparkakor, the crisp ginger cookies that are enjoyed in Sweden throughout the holiday season. Swedish Crown Bakery Fullscreen On a cold winter’s day in Germany, there are few sweets more warming than a bratapfel, an apple stuffed with dried fruit and marzipan, then baked. At Chicago’s annual Christkindlmarket, the holiday treat is topped with sweet syrup and a dusting of cinnamon sugar. Cate Huguelet The spicy, gingerbread-like cake known as lebkuchen is another popular German holiday sweet. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket offers elaborately-decorated lebkuchen.

Cate Huguelet Pfeffernusse -- petite but zesty cookies flavored with pepper, cinnamon and cloves -- are another common holiday treat in Germany. Pick up festive gift bags of the cookies from the Dinkel’s Bakery stall at Chicago’s Christkindlmarket. Cate Huguelet Stollen, a rich Christmas bread filled with dried and candied fruit, is strongly linked to the German city of Dresden, which hosts an annual Stollenfest. Dinkel’s Bakery offers its version at Chicago’s Christkindlmarket. Cate Huguelet Fullscreen The filled donuts known as sufganiyot are associated with Hanukkah, during which fried foods are eaten to symbolize the temple oil that burned, according to Jewish tradition, for a miraculous eight nights. New York’s Breads Bakery offers the donuts in flavors like chocolate, dulce de leche, strawberry and vanilla. Breads Bakery Proudly-risen domes of citrusy panettone bread are perhaps Italy’s most recognizable holiday sweet. While many American shops sell pre-made versions of the labor-intensive bread during the Christmas season, New York’s Grandaisy Bakery prepares it from scratch.

Monica Von Thun Calderón Even the panettone packaging gets a handmade touch at Grandaisy: Each year, staff compete to design a holiday card that is tied to each box with a festive ribbon. Monica Von Thun Calderón For Americans of Southern Italian descent, Christmas time means traditional cookies like almond paste-filled, pinenut-topped pignoli, tender, fig-filled cucidati, and citrusy lemon knots. Italophiles can pick up a tin of holiday cookies at Chicago’s Scafuri Bakery. Scafuri Bakery Fullscreen Torrone is a sweet, nutty nougat candy traditionally enjoyed in Italy during the holiday season. The version at South Philadelphia’s Termini Brothers is prepared according to the recipe of Giuseppe “Mr. Joe” Termini, the Sicilian immigrant who founded the bakery more than 90 years ago. termini.com The addictively crisp waffle cookies known as pizzelles enjoy particular popularity in Italy during the Christmas and Easter seasons. Stateside, they’re a favorite at Nonna’s Sweet Treats in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Nonna’s Sweet Treats One of Puerto Rico’s most beloved Christmas sweets is sippable coquito, an eggnog-like beverage that’s rich with rum, vanilla and coconut. During the holiday season, sample mixologist Dean Feddaoui’s version at Area 31 in Miami. Brett Huffziger Bowtie-shaped krusciki are a light-as-air, powder sugar-dusted fritter popular in Poland at Christmas time. Chicago’s Delightful Pastries is a great place to stock up on these crispy treats. Delightful Pastries Makowiec, a sweet bread rolled around a poppy seed filling, makes an appearance in Poland as well as a number of neighboring countries during the holiday season. It’s among the festive offerings at Chicago’s Delightful Pastries. Delightful Pastries Like many European cultures, Poland has its own version of gingerbread cookies; called pierniczki, they’re warmly-spiced and often sweetened with honey. Delightful Pastries in Chicago offers beautifully-decorated pierniczki.

Delightful Pastries While kutya, a hearty pudding made from raisins, walnuts, poppy seeds, wheat berries and honey, is traditionally associated with Christmas in Ukraine, it’s offered year-round at New York’s Veselka restaurant. Veselka Fullscreen Bolo Rei (or King Cake) is a sweet, fruit- and nut-packed bread typically enjoyed in Portugal between Christmas and January 6, traditionally celebrated by Christian faiths as the day the three magi arrived to meet newborn Jesus. Barcelo’s Cafe in Fall River, Mass. bakes up Bolo Rei throughout the holiday season. Barcelo’s Cafe Fullscreen Intricately-shaped, almond-rich marzipan (or 'mazapan', as it’s known in Castilian) is a common sight in Spain at Christmas, particularly in the city of Toledo, where it’s said to have been invented. Carmen & Lola, a Florida-based retailer of imported Spanish goods, sells mazapan at its Miami store as well as at carmenandlola.com. Carmen & Lola Polvorones are tender, crumbly Spanish Christmas cookies made from almond flour and lard, finished with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Carmen & Lola offers the real deal, imported from Spain. Carmen & Lola Turron is a rich, sweet Spanish confection made from eggs, widely available in several varieties -- some crunchy, others taffy-like -- during the Christmas season. Carmen & Lola offers turron yema tostada, which gets its flavor from egg yolks and burnt sugar. Carmen & Lola Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries: Replay Our German Story Foods of Germany German Cuisine varies greatly from region to region. The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia share many dishes among them and with their neighbors to the south, Switzerland and Austria. Eating Habits Breakfast (Frühstück) commonly consists of bread, toast, and/or bread rolls (Brötchen, Semmeln, Broodje, Schrippen, Wecken or Rundstücke) with jam, marmalade or honey, eggs, and strong coffee or tea (cocoa for children). Deli meats, such as ham, salted meats and salami, are also commonly eaten on bread in the morning, as are various cheeses.

A variety of meat-based spreads such as Leberwurst (literally liver-sausage) can be found during breakfast as well. Müsli and cereals such as cornflakes are also popular. Traditionally, the main meal of the day has been lunch (Mittagessen), eaten around noon. Dinner (Abendessen or Abendbrot) was always a smaller meal, sometimes consisting only of sandwiches. However, in Germany, as in other parts of Europe, dining habits have changed quite radically over the last 50 years. Today, many people eat only a small meal in the middle of the working day and enjoy a hot dinner in the evening. Breakfast is still very popular and may be elaborated and extended on weekends, with friends invited as guests. Meat Pork, beef, and poultry are the main varieties of meat consumed in Germany, with pork being the most popular by a substantial amount. Among poultry, chicken is most common, although duck, goose, and turkey are also well enjoyed. Game meats, especially boar, rabbit, and venison are also widely available around the year. Lamb and goat are also available, but are not very popular.

Horse meat is regarded as a specialty in some regions but consumption is sometimes frowned upon. Meat is usually pot-roasted; pan-fried dishes also exist, but these are usually imports from France. Throughout Germany, meat is very often eaten in sausage form. There are more than 1500 different types of sausage in Germany. Certain families may also make their own sausage for personal consumption. Fish Trout is the most common freshwater fish on German menus, although pike, carp, and European perch are also frequently served. Seafood was traditionally restricted to the northern coastal areas — except for pickled herring. Today many seafish like fresh herring (also as rollmops), sardine, tuna, mackerel, and salmon are well established throughout the country. Prior to the industrial revolution and the ensuing pollution of the rivers, however, salmon was so common in the rivers Rhine, Elbe, and Oder that servants complained about being served salmon too often. Nowadays, thanks to tight environmental control, rivers are cleaner than they were a century ago and the fish population of Germany's rivers is gaining back its territory. Freshwater fish are often served grilled.

Other seafood is not often served as part of a traditional meal, but mussels and North Sea shrimp — which today are expensive compared to imported shrimp — can sometimes be found. Vegetables Vegetables are often eaten in stews or vegetable soups, but can also be served as a side dish. Carrots, turnips, spinach, peas, beans, and many types of cabbage are very common. Fried onions are a common addition to many meat dishes throughout the country. Potatoes, while a major part of the diet, are usually not counted among vegetables by Germans. Asparagus, especially white asparagus known as spargel, is particularly enjoyed in Germany as a side dish or as a main meal. Sometimes restaurants will even devote an entire menu to nothing but spargel, when it is the right season (late Spring). Spargel season is traditionally set to the time before St. John's Day. Side Dishes Noodles are usually thicker than Italian pasta and often contain egg yolk. Especially in the south-western part of the country, the predominant variety of noodles is Spätzle which contain a very large amount of yolk.

Besides noodles, potatoes and dumplings (Klöße or Knödel) are very common, especially in the south. Potatoes entered German cuisine in the late 18th century and were almost ubiquitous in the 19th and 20th centuries, but their popularity is currently waning somewhat in favour of noodles and rice. Potatoes are most often served boiled in salt water, but mashed and fried potatoes also are traditional, and French fries have now become very common. Drinks Beer is very common throughout all parts of Germany, with many local and regional breweries producing a wide variety of beers. In most of the country Pils is predominant today, whereas people in the South (especially in Bavaria) seem to prefer Lager or wheat beer. A number of regions have a special kind of local beer, for example the dark Altbier around the lower Rhine, the Kölsch of the Cologne area, which is light but like Altbier uses a more traditional brewing process than Pils, and the very weak Berliner Weiße, often mixed with fruit syrups, in Berlin.

Beer may also be mixed with other beverages; pils or lager and lemonade, known as Alsterwasser or Radler, is a popular example. Krefelder is a pils mixed with Cola, Russ a wheat beer mixed with Cola. Wine is also popular throughout the country. German wine comes predominantly from the areas along the upper and middle Rhine and its tributaries; the northern half of the country is too cold and flat to grow grape vines. Riesling and Silvaner are among the best-known varieties. Traditionally, white wine was more popular than red or rosé (except in some regions), and sweet wine more popular than dry, but both these tastes seem to be changing. Coffee is also very common, not only for breakfast, but also accompanying a piece of cake in the afternoon, usually on Sundays or special occasions, like birthdays. It is generally strong and similar to the Italian style espresso. Tea is more common in the Northwest. East Frisians traditionally have their tea with cream and rock candy ("Kluntje"). Apfelsaftschorle apple juice mixed with sparkling mineral water, is a common beverage. Spezi is a soft drink made with cola and lemonade.

In Southern Germany and Austria, Spezi a generic term for a mixture of cola and Fanta (or a similar orange soft drink). In some regions (Emsland) spezi is a mixture of cola and schnapps. Germans are unique among their neighbours in preferring strongly carbonated bottled waters to non-carbonated ones. Spices & Condiments Mustard is a very common accompaniment to sausages and is usually very hot. In the southern parts of the country, a sweet variety of mustard is made which is almost exclusively served with Bavarian specialties such as Weißwurst and Leberkäse. Horseradish is also commonly used as a condiment. Garlic was long frowned upon as "making one stink" and thus has never played a large role in traditional German cuisine, but it has seen a rise in popularity in recent decades due to the influence of French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, and Turkish cuisine.

Generally, with the exception of mustard for sausages, German dishes are rarely hot and spicy — the most popular herbs are traditionally parsley, cardamom, thyme, laurel, and chives, the most popular spices are black pepper (used in small amounts), juniper berries and caraway. Other herbs and spices like basil, sage, oregano, and hot chili peppers have become more popular in recent times. Desserts A wide variety of cakes and tarts are prepared throughout the country, most commonly made with fresh fruit. Apples, plums, strawberries, and cherries are used regularly on cakes. Cheesecake is also very popular and almost always made with quark. German doughnuts are usually balls of dough with jam or other fillings inside, and are known as Berliner or Krapfen depending on the region. Pfannkuchen are quite similar but flat and baked like Omelettes and served covered with sugar, jam, syrup etc.. In some regions Pfannkuchen are filled and then wrapped. A popular dessert in northern Germany is "Rote Grütze", red fruit pudding, which is cooked from black and red currants, raspberries and sometimes with strawberries or cherries.

It is traditionally served with cream, but also common with vanilla sauce, milk or whipped cream. "Rhabarbergrütze" (rhubarb pudding) and "Grüne Grütze" (gooseberry fruit pudding) are variations of the "Rote Grütze". Ice cream and sorbets are also very popular. Italian-run ice cream parlours were the first large wave of foreign-run eateries in Germany, becoming widespread in the 1920s. Bread With regard to bread, German cuisine is more akin to Eastern than to Western Europe. The country boasts at least 300 different types of bread, ranging from white wheat bread to grey bread (Graubrot) and "black" (actually dark brown) rye bread (Schwarzbrot). Most types of bread contain both wheat and rye flour (hence Mischbrot, mixed bread), and often wholemeal and seeds (such as linseed, sunflower seed, or pumpkin seeds) as well. Pumpernickel, a Westphalian black bread, is not baked but steamed, and has a unique sweetish taste.

Bread is a big part of the German diet, and usually eaten for breakfast and as sandwiches in the evening, not as a side dish for the main meal. The importance of bread (Brot) in German cuisine is also illustrated by words such as Abendbrot (supper, literally Evening Bread) and Brotzeit (snack, literally Bread Time). In fact, one of the major complaints of German expatriates in many parts of the world is their inability to find acceptable local breads. Bread Rolls Bread rolls, known in Germany as Brötchen, Semmel, Schrippe, broodje,Rundstück or Weckle/Weckli depending on the region, are common in German cuisine. They are typically cut in half, and spread with butter or margarine. Cheese, meat, fish or preserves is then placed between the two halves, or on each half separately, known as an open sandwich. Specialties by Region

Question: In which country is the cake known as ‘stollen’ traditionally eaten at Christmas?
Answer: GERMANY