Strudel de manzana: origen y dónde comer los mejores en CDMX

Strudel, in German, means swirl. The origin of apple strudel is located in the distant Austro-Hungarian Empire, a European state that was founded in 1867 as a result of the united monarchies of the Kingdom of Hungary and the Austrian Empire. Knowing this bit of history is necessary to explaining how this now famous dessert came about.

strudel de manzana cdmx dónde comerlo — Photo: ©circlePS via Canva.com

It’s all about the dough

The oldest recipe was included in a book called Koch Puech from the year 1696. However, the arrival of this exquisite treat came a century earlier with the Turkish invasion of the empire. The dough was the first element to leave its mark, the same that was used to prepare the Turkish sweet baklava, and which forms the necessary foundation and determines the quality of a strudel. Known as filo dough, it is worked for hours to develop the gluten and as a result becomes so flexible that dough experts say you should be able to read a newspaper through it when stretched.

The filling, baklava evolved

Once stretched and folded, we come to the filling – an apple compote that includes cinnamon, another element from baklava. The recipe evolved in such a way that nowadays in many parts of the world pine nuts, walnuts, raisins, and even a touch of rum are added to enhance the flavor. Once the filling has been chosen the filo dough is rolled (hence the name “swirl”) and baked.

Traditionally it is served with powdered sugar sprinkled on top, however, in some places they add vanilla cream or even vanilla ice cream, adding an additional sensory element: the temperature contrast, since apple strudel is customarily served hot. And for the pairing proficient, the perfect companion to Apfelstrudel is an espresso.