--- Season 3 of premieres at 8:00pm on Tuesday 17 May 2022 on SBS Food, or stream it free via SBS on Demand ---
The pastry-rolled goodness of a flaky strudel is synonymous with Austrian culture.
But somewhere along the snow-capped peaks of the Alps, in between northern Italy and Austria, the cultural persona of the strudel got a little hazy.
That’s because strudels are just as popular on the Italian side of the border as they are on the Austrian side.
“The cuisine of northern Italy shares many similarities with that of its neighbouring countries like Austria,” says cook and TV host, . “One such dish is the much-loved strudel.
“When we think about strudel we usually imagine the delicious, pastry roll filled with apples, raisins and cinnamon. This [Austrian dish is also] a traditional dessert of Trentino-Alto Adige.”
The cuisine of northern Italy shares many similarities with that of its neighbouring countries like Austria. One such dish is the much-loved strudel.
Some say that once the after World War One and (once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire) became part of Italy in 1919, the strudel became both Italian and Austrian.
Austrian families went on to raise children – and generations of Italians – who eat delicious strudel di mele (Italian for apple strudel).
Australian-Italian food blogger, , has been living in Italy for over 24 years. Late last year, she travelled to northern Italy to sample Trentino-Alto Adige’s famous strudels.
“The northern Italian region just blew my mind because everyone was speaking German,” Brancatisano tells SBS. “Italy may be small but it’s amazing to see how one region varies to another so vastly.
“While I was there, I felt it was my duty to have a different apple strudel every single day. Thus began my quest of the apple strudel.”
During Brancatisano’s eating quest, she found another reason why strudels were so popular throughout the area: “the region produces some of the best apples in all of Europe”.
“I discovered fields and fields of apple orchards. They don’t plant apples as individual standing trees there either. Apples grow on long trellises like grapes. They are bright red and gorgeous apples.”
Strudels: whirlpools of flavour (in anyone's language)
After eating many apple strudels in northern Italy, Brancatisano learned of the diversity between strudel offerings.
Apple strudels made in the north of Italy may commonly be served with pine nuts while those from an Austrian tradition feature hazelnuts. Filo, puff and shortcrust pastry were also all used to make apple strudels.
“You could interview 100 different families in that area and they may all have a different recipe depending on what they grew up with and if they have mixed heritage.”
Despite the differences, there were a few consistencies. All apple strudels had a delicious, pastry roll filled with apples, raisins and cinnamon. To be considered an authentic strudel (no matter the country you're in), the dish must also make a characteristic ‘whirlpool’ or ‘vortex’ (an English translation of the German word ‘strudel’) pattern when cut.
While I was there, I felt it was my duty to have a different apple strudel every single day. Thus began my quest of the apple strudel.
It goes without saying that the cultural identity of the iconic strudel is mixed. Strudel pastry is said to have descended from , hence the physical similarities between the desert and baklava.
However, the oldest strudel recipe dates back to 1696 in Austria. The dish called took off during the Habsburg Empire in the 18th century and then spread throughout central European countries (including Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Poland and more).
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Umbrian strudel (rocciata di Assisi)
Strudels can be a sweet and savoury delight
Today, s have become such a popular dish in northern Italy that they’ve been recognised as a of . They are also widely eaten across the whole of Italy.
You can try strudels that are both sweet and savoury. Consider tasting a strudel with berries (strudel ai frutti di bosco); peaches; or cocoa, pears and cinnamon (strudel al cacao con pere e canella). Or, sample potato and spinach strudel; sausage, mushrooms and cheese strudel; or strudel with asparagus and prosciutto.
Ricotta is another versatile filling that can loan itself to both sweet and savoury varieties: ricotta with lemon, cherry or honey.
It’s so delicious: the combination of the zucchini with n’duja [in a strudel] is just heavenly.
Colloca makes a savoury northern Italian strudel with during the third series of SBS’s
“When filled with fresh zucchini and the spice of n’duja, this savoury strudel blends the delicious traditions of two very different parts of Italy,” says Colloca in episode 10, while making her
“It’s so delicious: the combination of the zucchini with n’duja [in a strudel] is just heavenly.
“It is dishes like this that inspire people to cook like an Italian. There is always magic to be found in keeping things simple and fresh.”
