Kürtőskalács is a popular pastry specific to Hungarian-speaking regions, more predominantly,
the Szekler land. Earlier a festive treat, now it is part of everyday consumption.
Kürtőskalács is made from sweet, yeast dough (raised dough), of which a strip is
spun and then wrapped around a truncated cone–shaped baking spit, and rolled in granulated
sugar. It is baked above charcoal cinders or electrical elements while lubricated
with melted butter, until its surface gets a golden-brown colour. During the baking
process the sugar stuck on kürtőskalács becomes caramel and forms shiny, crispy crust
on the cake. The surface of cake can then be provided with additional toppings such
as ground walnut or cinnamon powder. The first known record that hints at a family
of cakes baked by rotating spit over cinders dates back to medieval times (about
1450) and is found in a manuscript from Heidelberg. The description mentions a strip
of raised dough that has to be wound in a helix shape around a baking spit, and brushed
with egg yolk before baking. In the 16th century, the evolution of cake family moved
in three branches. The first branch contains pastries that preserved image of cake
similar to the one mentioned above, with a strip wound on spit in a helix shape.
The Szekler–Hungarian kürtőskalács, "Skalicky Trdelnik" (Trdelnik from Szakolca),
and the Czech-Moravian Trdlo/Trdelnice/Trdelnik, which is virtually the same as the
latter, as well as the kürtősfánk (Kürtősh donut) belong to this branch. The second
branch has pastries of liquid dough, namely the Lithuanian/Polish/French Ragoulis/Sakotis/Sekacz/Gateau
a la broche, the German Baumkuchen, the Austrian Prügertorte/Prügelkrapfen as well
as the Swedish Spettekaka/Spettkaka. The third branch is represented by one cake,
the Transylvanian–Saxon Baumstriezel, where a continuous dough strip is placed on
spit. The first known recipe of Kürtősalács originates from… (more)
