Kürtőskalács - Hungarian Chimney Cake

Kürtőskalács is a very delicious pastry made of dough that is rolled out on a traditional wooden rolling pin and baked over embers. The outside is smeared with melted butter and sprinkled with various types of sprinkles. If you haven't tried it yet, it's really worth it. This delicacy is becoming more and more popular not only in Hungary but also around the world. It can also be done very easily at home.

How did kurtoskalacs was created?

The idea of spit cakes dates back to the Middle Ages. The oldest mention, dating from around 1450, is in a manuscript from Heidelberg. The description there shows a strip of risen dough wrapped in a spiral around a spit. This cake was then brushed with egg yolk before being placed in the oven.

The evolution of whole cake family branched starting in the 16th century. Three separate groups of baked goods were born from this type of baking. Kürtőskalács is one of them.

The creation of the original recipe is attributed to a subgroup of Hungarians called Székelys. They have been living in Transylvania for centuries. The first written recipe can be found in a cookbook from 1784 belonging to Countess Mária Mikes de Zabola.

As the recipe developed, various additives were added to diversify the taste of this baked product. Applying pure sugar to the surface of cakes before baking became popular in the late 19th century.

The currently most popular variant of kürtőskalács developed in Szeklerland in the first half of the 20th century. It is characterized by a flattened surface of raw dough wrapped around a spit.