Running Head: STRUDEL

Strudel
Kerry Nefferdorf
CIV

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Strudel
The word strudel means whirlpool, and is a reference to the spiral shape of the pastry
that bears this name. Strudel consists of layers of paper-thin dough wrapped around a filling
which can be virtually anything, from apples, to cheese, to meat.
The oldest known recipe for Strudel dates from 1696 and is located in Viennas National
Library. It most likely evolved from phyllo pastries such as baklava. The technique for creating
super-thin dough was perfected by either the Greeks or the Ottomans, and came up through
Turkey into Vienna, most likely when Vienna was attacked by the Ottomans in 1453.
Strudel, and in particular apple strudel, was probably invented as a way to make a filling
meal out of not much food. Apples were abundant, and so they became the most traditional
filling for strudel. Apfelstrudel traditionally contains sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and breadcrumbs
in addition to chopped apples. Despite this, the 1696 recipe is for a milk-cream strudel, and many
other varieties, both sweet and savory, exist.
While strudels origins are Austrian, it has insinuated itself into German culture as well. It
was German settlers who, in the 1800s, brought strudel to Texas. As one of the earliest pastries
to be baked in Texas, apple strudel was declared the Official State Pastry from 2003-2005.
Whether filled with almonds or cabbage, meat or cinnamon, cheese or apples, strudel is a
delicious, flaky treat whose appeal is surpassed only by its versatility.

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Bibliography

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Gomez,F.(2014,414).Apfelstrudel,ortheAppleWhirlpool.Retrieved220,2015,fromThe
Palate:https://uchicagopalate.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/apfelstrudelortheapple
whirlpool/
Strudel.(2015).Retrieved220,2015,fromGermanFoodGuide:
http://www.germanfoodguide.com/strudel.cfm
TheHistoryofStrudel.(2012,415).Retrieved220,2015,fromRecipesfromaGerman
Grandma:http://www.kitchenproject.com/german/recipes/Desserts/Strudel/Strudel
History.htm