We've collected the sights and sounds of baking from across Europe, finding the tastiest and most popular favourites from each country. Browse the collection under each flag to whet your appetite for a bite to eat or to learn a language.
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Explore the baking and culture of Europe
Members of The Open University Faculty of Languages were 'behind the scenes' when the Hairy Bikers filmed the BBC series Bakeation.
Find out more about the language and culture of baking in eight European countries.
English
Italy has many different kinds of bread, cakes and baked goods, which reflect the regional and cultural diversity of the 20 regions. Typical of Emilia Romagna is the piadina, a type of unleavened flatbread which goes back to ancient times and is cooked on a griddle or testo. Some Sicilian cakes go back to the period of Arab domination in Sicily, like cassata, it’s a cake not an ice-cream! Cassata is prepared with exotic ingredients such as saffron, dried fruit and candied fruit. At Christmas time, the panettone of Milan is now found in almost all Italian homes. Lastly, let’s not forget pizza, which, originally prepared in the back streets of Naples, has now spread to the entire world!
Italian
L'Italia offre una vasta varietà di pane, dolci e pietanze cotte al forno, riflettendo la diversità culturale e culinaria delle venti regioni. Tipica dell'Emilia Romagna è la piadina, un tipo di pane azzimo che risale ai tempi antichi e viene cotto su una piastra o testo. Alcuni dolci siciliani risalgono alla dominazione araba in Sicilia, per esempio la cassata - non è un gelato ma un dolce! La cassata è preparato con ingredienti esotici come zafferano, frutta secca e canditi. A Natale, poi, il panettone milanese è ormai presente in quasi tutte le case italiane. Infine non dimentichiamo la pizza che, originariamente preparata nelle viuzze di Napoli, è ora diffusa in tutto il mondo!
Audio transcript
-Buongiorno signora. -Buongiorno. Mi dà un filone da mezzo chilo, per favore? -Un filone da mezzo chilo, ecco. -Grazie. -Prego. Arrivederci. -Arrivederci.
Translation
-Good day, signora. -Good day. Can you give me a half-kilo loaf please? -A half kilo loaf, here you are. -Thank you. -You’re welcome. Bye! -Bye.
Image Rachel Black via Flickr under Creative Commons license
Italian
Quando vado dal panettiere, compro sempre un pezzo di focaccia. Quando ero piccolo, mia madre mi dava i soldi per andare a prendere il pane in paese. Se avanzavano i soldi, prendevo anche la focaccia calda, quella con sale e olio - e la mangiavo per strada tornando a casa!
English
When I go to the baker’s, I always buy a piece of focaccia. When I was a little boy, my mother used to give me money to go and get the bread in the village. If there was any money left, I used to get some warm focaccia as well, the kind with salt and oil on it - and I would eat it on the way home!
Image: Yumarama under CC-BY-NC licence
Le rosetta
Rosetta is the typical shaped bread roll found all over Italy but particularly popular in the north. In Lombardy, northern Italy, it's also known as michetta. Almost hollow inside, its top is usually marked into four wedge-shaped segments with a round segment in the centre. It doesn't keep well, so used to be baked at least three times a day. Because lifestyles have changed, and people no longer go to the baker’s before every meal, rosetta is now losing popularity to other breads such as ciabatta or filone.
Image: © Franca Pellegrini
La focaccia
Focaccia is a popular Italian bread made with a dough similar to pizza dough and baked in large rectangular trays. In Liguria, where it originated, it has no adornments other than sea salt, fresh rosemary and of course the best virgin olive oil. It is now found in bakers and cafés throughout Italy, sometimes with additional toppings, and often used in place of bread to make a tasty sandwich.
Image: Yumarama under Creative Commons license
La piadina
Piadina is a very thin flatbread popular in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy (Rimini, Riccione). It provided the poor with a cheap alternative to bread. Piadina is made with unleavened dough, rolled out thinly and fried quickly on a hot ‘testo’, a round metal plate. Filled with local cheese or thin slices of meat and salad, piadine are often sold on street stalls as well as in cafés throughout the region.
Image: By no name given under Creative Commons license
Il cornetto
Cornetto is the Italian version of the French croissant. In fact, in the north of Italy, it’s sometimes called ‘croissant’. Straighter in shape than the French crescent-shaped croissant, the cornetto can be plain vuoto, filled with jam marmellata, crème patisserie crema or even chocolate cioccolato. It’s eaten with a coffee, whether espresso or cappuccino, at breakfast or a mid-morning coffee break.
Image: Animalvegetable under Creative Commons license
Il panettone
No Italian Christmas is complete without a panettone, literally a ‘large loaf’, from the local baker or mass-produced. The traditional version of this cake, originally from Milan, is a deliciously light dome-shaped confection of bread dough, enriched with eggs, butter and sugar, and dotted with raisins and candied peel. Nowadays you can also buy a panettone covered in chocolate or filled with Strega liqueur. Panettone is normally served with a glass of prosecco to round off a Christmas or New Year’s Eve meal.
Image: Daniel Londero under Creative Commons license
Il panforte
Panforte is a Christmas speciality from Siena, in Tuscany. A dense cake only a few centimetres high, it is made largely of candied fruit, dried fruit and nuts, covered in icing sugar. It is very sweet and usually served in small portions with coffee or a dessert wine after a meal. Panforte dates back to the 13th century. Most people buy the commercially produced panforte but of course in Siena you can buy a handmade one at a pasticceria.
Image: no name given under Creative Commons license
La colomba
Colomba means dove in Italian and colomba di Pasqua is eaten all over Italy at Easter time. The texture is similar to panettone, but without the dried fruit. It's formed into a dove shape and sprinkled with sugar and almonds. Commercially produced colomba do not always look very much like doves, so some people prefer to buy a handcrafted colomba from the local pasticceria, cake shop or panetteria, bread shop.
Image: no name given under Creative Commons license
La pastiera napoletana
Pastiera napoletana, as the name suggests, originates from Naples but goes back to the Pagan celebrations of springtime, with wheat from the earth, eggs to symbolise new birth, ricotta cheese, perfumed orange flower water, cinnamon and candied peel from the orient. The nuns of San Gregorio Armeno were famous for their pastiera but every Neapolitan family has their own recipe for this sweet exotically scented cake, traditionally made a few days before Easter to allow the flavours to merge.
Image: Francesca under Creative Commons license
Le sfogliatelle napoletane
Sfogliatelle literally means leaves or layers. This delicious speciality from Naples is a little pastry parcel filled with ricotta, semolina and candied fruit. Sfogliatelle are made in different shapes but the most common are sfogliatella riccia, crisp in texture and made with a flaky pastry and sfogliatella frolla, rounder and made with sweet shortcrust pastry. They are usually eaten with coffee or served as a treat at the end of a special meal. Sfogliatelle can be found in almost any pasticceria or in Naples.
Image: Finizio under Creative Commons license
Il filone
Filone, from Italian ‘filo’ or ‘thread’ is the traditional long Italian loaf. Not as thin as the French baguette, it is probably the most popular bread in north and central Italy. In the south, the ciabatta loaf is probably more popular. Filone is sold by weight, normally mezzo chilo. Italians love to have different varieties of bread with their meals, and filone is more practical than individual rolls for a large family, and for mopping up a delicious sauce at the end of a main course. In Italy, bread is never eaten with the pasta course.
Image: © Franca Pellegrini
English
In Austria, there are local and regional variations in baking. Home baking is quite popular. Sweet baking in Austria was influenced by other cultures: Bohemia golatschen, Hungary strudel and Italy polentaschnitten. Different words are used to refer to bread brot, white bread and rolls weißgebäck and konditorwaren are more luxurious bakery goods. The sachertorte name is protected, but many households have their own similar chocolate torte recipe. Linzertorte is a regional speciality, which is known in all of Austria.
Austrian German
In Österreich gibt es lokale und regionale Unteschiede beim Backen und Backen zu Hause ist sehr beliebt. Viele anderen Kulturen haben das Backen in Österreich beeinflusst: Böhmen (Golatschen), Ungarn (Strudel) oder Italien (Polentaschnitten). Verschiedene Wörter werden verwendet um zwischen Brot, Weißbrot und Brötchen (Weißgebäck, Semmeln) und Kuchen (Konditorwaren, Mehlspeisen) zu unterscheiden. Der Name der Sachertorte ist geschützt, aber viele Haushalte haben ihr eigenes ähnliches Schokoladentortenrezept. Linzertorte ist eine regionale Spezialität, die in ganz Österreich bekannt ist.
Audio transcript
-Gruß Gott. -Guten Tag. Drei Stück Apfelstrudel bitte, zum mitnehmen. -Bitteschön. Darf es soustnoch was sein? -Nein Danke. Das ist alles. -Auf Wiederschauen. -Auf Wiedersehen.
Translation
-Hello. -Hello. Could I have three slices of apple strudel to take away please? -Here you are. Would you like anything else? -No thank you. That’s it. -Goodbye! -Goodbye.
Image: © Beverley Daley-Yates
Austrian German
Wenn ich in Österreich in die Bäckerei gehe, kaufe ich meistens verschiedene kleine Backwaren.
Der Grund ist einfach der, dass die Auswahl so groß ist und ich die unterschiedlichen Konsistenzen von weich bis knusprig und Geschmacksrichtungen von süß bis deftig auskosten möchte.
English
When I go to a bakery in Austria, I often buy many different small items. The reason is simply that the selection is abundant and I like trying the different textures – from soft to crunchy, and the range of different tastes – from sweet to savoury.
Image: © Uschi Stickler
Das Schwarzbrot
Schwarzbrotor bauernbrot is the wholesome dark rye bread, traditionally baked in wood-fired ovens on Austrian farms.
Bauernbrot, literally translated as farmer's bread, is the most traditional type of Austrian bread. It used to be baked for one's own consumption, and kept for months. Now it’s sold locally and the similar bread, schwarzbrot, is sold in bakeries.
Image: © Uschi Stickler
Der Bosniak(en)
Bosniak(en) is a savoury roll made with a mix of rye and wheat dough, topped with caraway seeds.
Image: © Uschi Stickler
Das Kipferl
Kipferl, a crescent-shaped pastry, is the origin of the French croissant. As the centre of political power in Europe for centuries, Vienna boasts a unique cuisine.
In 1839, August Zang visited Paris and set up the first Boulangerie Viennoise, Viennese bakery, in France, introducing Parisians to the crescent-shaped kipferl.
Image: Hutschi under Creative Commons license
Das Mohnweckerl
Mohnweckerl is a small, soft white roll topped with poppy seeds.
Image: © Beverley Daley-Yates
Die Semmel
Semmel or kaisersemmel are typical soft white bread rolls with five-leaved star-shapes on top, found on dining tables across Austria at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Image: © Beverley Daley-Yates
Der Apfelstrudel
One of the best known Austrian cakes is apfelstrudel. Strudel can be made with other fillings, sweet or savoury. Apfelstrudel is a classic Austrian layered pastry filled with sliced apples, raisins, cinnamon and sugar. It's served as slices, warm or cold, sprinkled with sugar and cream. Preparing strudel pastry requires skill and practice. The pastry chef kneads, rests, rolls and stretches the unleavened dough until it's paper-thin.
Image: BernieCB under Creative Commons license
Der Gugelhupf
Gugelhupf is a traditional large cake baked in a special ring-shaped tin. It's generally eaten in the afternoon with coffee. Originating in Vienna, gugelhupf is popular throughout Austria and Germany. There are many variations on the traditional recipe today like marmorgugelhupf and reindling. The shape is the common ingredient, .
Image: Ponte1112 under Creative Commons license
Die Nusspotizen
Nusspotizen or mohnpotizen are types of strudel made with yeast-based dough and filled with a mix of ground nuts, raisins and sugar or poppy seeds, raisins and sugar.
Die Kekse
Kekse are small, sweet biscuits of various tastes and shapes, traditionally served during Advent, before Christmas.
Image: © Uschi Stickler
Die Topfengolatsche
Topfengolatsche is a traditional Austrian cake, very popular in Vienna. It's made with sweet yeast dough, filled with sweet curd cheese and baked as a closed square pocket. Variations are made with puff pastry and other fillings such as apples and apricots.
Image: nerdycreative under Creative Commons license
English
In most French families, buying bread is a daily task. The French traditional baguette is much nicer eaten fresh, sometimes when it's still warm, which is why most French people visit their local bakery at least once a day. The baguette is still the most popular form of bread, but several others are available. There are several white bread varieties, distinguished by their size, from the small ficelle to the large flûte, and by their shape, from the round boule to crown-shaped couronne and the spiky épi. There are also types of rye bread, pain de seigle, wholemeal bread, pain complet, seeded bread, pain aux céréales and many regional specialities.
French
Dans la plupart des familles françaises, on achète son pain tous les jours. La baguette traditionnelle est bien meilleure lorsqu’elle est fraîche, ou même encore chaude, et c’est pour cette raison que les Français vont à la boulangerie de leur quartier au moins une fois par jour. La baguette est toujours le type de pain le plus répandu, mais il en existe beaucoup d’autres. Il y a de nombreuses sortes de pains blancs. On les distingue grâce à leur taille, de la ficelle à la flûte, et grâce à leur forme, de la boule à la couronne, en passant par l’épi. On trouve aussi des pains faits de farines différentes, comme le pain de seigle, le pain complet ou le pain aux céréales, ainsi que de nombreuses spécialités régionales.
Audio transcript
-Bonjour! -Bonjour. Je voudrais une baguette, une tartelette aux pommes et un éclair au chocolat s’il-vous-plaît. -D’accord, voilà. Et avec ceci? -Ce sera tout, merci. -Je vous en prie. Au revoir! -Au revoir!
Translation
-Hello. -Hello. I would like one baguette, one apple tartlet and one chocolate éclair please. -OK, here you are. Anything else? -That’s it, thank you. -You’re welcome. Bye! -Bye.
French
Quand je vais à la boulangerie en France, j’aime acheter des chouquettes. Quand j’étais petite, j’adorais en manger pour le goûter à la sortie de l’école. J’aimais bien finir le sucre qui tombait au fond du sac en papier. Maintenant c’est avec mon fils que j’achète des chouquettes!
English
When I visit the bakery in France, I like to buy chouquettes. When I was small, I loved eating them on my way home from school. Best of all, I liked to finish off the sugar which collected at the bottom of the paper bag. Now I still buy chouquettes but for my son!
Image: Sifu Renka under Creative Commons license
Le saucisson brioché
Served as a starter or main course, saucisson brioché is a sausage baked in a loaf of brioche. It can be eaten warm or cold.
Originating from the city of Lyon, saucisson brioché is a classic of the Lyonnais regional cuisine. Lyon is sometimes referred to as the gastronomic capital of France. Many famous French chefs originate from that area of the country.
Image: Marylise Doctrinal under Creative Commons license
Le millefeuille
Millefeuille, literally a thousand sheets or leaves in French, is traditionally made from three layers of puff pastry and two layers of crème patissière.
The top layer may be coated with a sprinkling of icing sugar or glazed with patterned icing. Millefeuille is usually called a vanilla slice in England, where it's easy to find in bakeries and supermarkets.
Image: Yuichi Sakuraba under Creative Commons license
La baguette
We’re all familiar with the baguette, literally translated as a stick, available around the world today. The standard French baguette weighs 250 g and is just one of many long white loaves freshly baked every day by French bakers. Typically, a baguette is about 5-6 cm in diameter and 60 cm long, although they can be as long as a metre. People buy their baguettes every day, sometimes in the morning and again in the afternoon, so they’re deliciously fresh to accompany breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Image: Fred Pallu under Creative Commons license
Le croissant
In 1839, an Austrian artillery officer, August Zang, visited Paris and set up the first Boulangerie Viennoise Viennese bakery. He introduced Parisians to the delicious, crisp crescent-shaped rolls known as kipferl in his native Austria and croissant in France. Croissants remain a staple part of French breakfast, but they, and other viennoiseries, are also frequently eaten by children as an after school snack.
Image: Zdenko Zivkovic under Creative Commons license
La chouquette
Chouquettes are delicious small balls of choux pastry sprinkled with pearl sugar and sold by weight in French bakeries. Chouquettes are really popular with children, who love to scoop up the coarse sugar crystals that collect in the bottom of the bag.
Image: Sifu Renka under Creative Commons license
La tarte tatin
Tarte tatin is an upside down apple tart made from apples, sugar and butter with plain dough made from flour, butter, and water. There are numerous stories about the origins of this tart, reputedly created accidentally by two sisters who ran the Tatin Hotel in the Sologne region of France. It's now popular in restaurants around the world.
Image: joyosity under Creative Commons license
Le clafoutis
Clafoutis is a delicious, summertime dessert made from thick, sweet batter poured over cherries, prunes or other fresh stone fruit like peaches or apricots.
It's a popular dessert in French families because it is easy to bake at home.
Image: Knile under Creative Commons license
Le pain de campagne
Pain de campagne is a traditional loaf of rustic bread made in all the regions of France.
The loaves may be made with rye, wholewheat or white flour and baker’s yeast or natural leaven. Each loaf usually has a heavy dusting of flour.
Image: delayedneutron under Creative Commons license
L’éclair au chocolat
Eclair au chocolat is a long choux pastry covered in chocolate, coffee or vanilla icing, filled with thick chocolate, coffee or vanilla flavoured crème patissière.
Eclairs are found in many countries, but they are thought to originate in France. The word éclair means lightning flash. The French phrase en un éclair translates as ‘quick as a flash’. It’s a mystery as to why the cake was given that name: could it be that they can be eaten so quickly, or that the icing glistens with the confectioner’s glaze?
Image: Sara Maternini under Creative Commons license
English
Hungarian confectionary cake traditions are modern, most being invented in the last 150 years. These cakes are much celebrated, and local cukrászda (cake shops) are favourite places for people to go. In the cukrászda famous cakes such as Dobos torta and Rákóczi túrós are offered alongside less well-known but equally delicious varieties. The more traditional and rather filling savoury flatbread called lángos and the very sweet and crispy kürtőskalács, originally from Transylvania, are available from kiosks on street corners. Bread is usually bought fresh every day on the way home from work, while cheese, potato or pork crackling flavoured scones, pogácsa, are still often baked at home.
Image: © BBC
Hungarian
A cukrászati hagyományok főként modernkoriak: a cukrászsütemények nagy részét az elmúlt 150 évben találták fel! Magyarország cukrászsüteményei világhírűek; a helyi cukrászdákba előszeretettel járnak az emberek. Itt fogyasztásra kínálják mind a hírneves süteményeket, mint például a Dobos tortát és a Rákóczi túróst, mind kevésbé ismert, de hasonlóan ízletes társaikat. Kint az utcán sok helyen fogyaszthatunk a hagyományos és laktató lángosból vagy akár a nagyon édes és ropogós, Erdélyből származó kürtőskalácsból. A kenyeret általában frissen veszik az emberek minden nap, munkából hazafelé; sajtos, krumplis és tepertős pogácsát pedig még mindig gyakran otthon sütnek.
Hungarian
Az egyik kedvenc süteményem odahaza a mézes krémes, ami a krémeshez hasonlít, de vaníliás töltelék helyett mézes tésztával készül: ez egyszerű, de mégis igen elegáns ízt idéz elő. A gyermekkori otthonom közelében lévő kis cukrászdában kitűnő mézes krémest készítenek még ma is.
English
One of my favourite cakes back home is mézes krémes. This cake is similar to krémes, but instead of vanilla filling it's made with honey flavoured pastry. The result is a taste which is simple yet very delectable. The local cukrászda near my childhood home bakes excellent mézes krémes even today.
Image: OctopusHat under Creative Commons license
Dobos torta
Dobos torta is Hungary’s most famous cake. It was invented in 1884, and it’s made of thin layers of sponge cake alternating with rich chocolate butter cream. The top layer is covered with hardened caramel – delicious, even if tough to crack with a dessert fork!
Image: Bruce Tuten under Creative Commons license
Kürtőskalács
Kürtőskalács is a traditional sweet pastry, originating from Transylvania and known in English as 'chimney cake'. The pastry is wrapped round a cylinder and baked over an open fire, using lots of sugar to create a delicious crispy surface. These tasty sweet pastries are most often flavoured with cinnamon, walnuts or coconut, and they’re especially popular at winter fairs.
Image: © iStockphoto
Pogácsa
Pogácsa is a savoury scone that is very popular as an everyday snack in Hungary. It’s made of dough, sometimes through a long process of repeated folding, which then results in a very finely layered texture. Traditionally pogácsa is flavoured with cheese, potatoes or pork crackling before baking.
Image: © Gergely Király
Krémes
Krémes means creamy in Hungarian. This delicious patisserie cake is similar to a vanilla slice and it’s one of the most popular cakes in Hungary.
Real vanilla pods are used to make the vanilla egg custard which is then encased in rich sweet puff pastry.
Image: © Gergely Király
Fehér kenyér
Fehér kenyér translates simply as white bread.
It’s made of 100% wheat flour in 1 kg pieces, and is the preferred choice of bread in most Hungarian households. It is usually picked up fresh daily from the supermarket - much like milk is in Britain!
Image: © Gergely Király
Fonott kalács
Fonott kalács is a sweet bread similar to brioche, only larger. It's sliced like bread and commonly eaten for breakfast, with sweet accompaniments such as jam or chocolate spread.
Sometimes, especially during Easter, it’s consumed with savoury things like ham, boiled egg and radish.
Image: HatM under Creative Commons license
Lángos
Lángos translates from Hungarian as 'flamed'.
It’s a traditional deep-fried flatbread, offered as a cheap and filling dish at fast food outlets. Lángos is especially popular at lakesides and open air swimming pools in the summer. It's usually dressed with garlic and served with further accompaniments, such as sour cream and cheese.
Image: Zsoolt under Creative Commons license
Somlói galuska
Somlói galuska is a very popular sweet dish served in Hungarian cake shops and restaurants.
It's a kind of chocolate trifle, made of vanilla, walnut and chocolate flavoured sponge cake, topped with vanilla custard, chocolate sauce, walnuts, raisins, rum and whipped cream.
Image: Zsoolt under Creative Commons license
Rákóczi túrós
Rákóczi túrós is a Hungarian speciality cake. It’s made of shortcrust pastry, topped with sweet cottage cheese and finished with a layer of meringue and apricot jam.
This delicious cake became famous after its introduction at the Brussels World Fair in 1958.
Image: © Gergely Király
Kakaós csiga
Kakaós csiga is a popular pastry available in every Hungarian bakery, but it’s even more delicious home-baked. It’s filled with cocoa and twisted around in the shape of a snail's shell before baking, making it many children’s favourite.
Kakaós csiga was invented by a Hungarian confectioner in 1908, to celebrate his 33rd birthday!
Image: © Gergely Király
English
The Norwegian short summers, cold climate, limited areas of arable farmland and proximity of the sea have influenced traditions for food production, including bread, cakes and baking. There is a wide variety of traditional bread and cakes in Norway, and its said that Norwegians probably eat more bread than any other Europeans. Norwegian bread is typically made from wheat or rye flour. Many people are surprised to find that potato is also a common ingredient in some traditional Norwegian bread recipes, notably lefse.
Image: © iStockphoto
Norwegian
De norske korte somre, kaldt klima, begrensede områder av dyrkbar jord og nærhet til havet har påvirket tradisjoner for matproduksjon, inkludert brød, kaker og baking. Det er et bredt utvalg av tradisjonelle brød og kaker i Norge, og det sies at nordmenn sannsynligvis spiser mer brød enn noen andre europeere.
Norsk brød er vanligvis laget av hvete eller rugmel. Mange er overrasket over å finne at potet er også en vanlig ingrediens i noen tradisjonelle norske oppskrifter, spesielt lefse.
Norwegian
Skolebrød er en favoritt blandt bade barna og voksne i Norge. Skolebrod bestar av en grunnbolle med vaniljekrem , melis og kokos.
Er det noe jeg alltid unner meg nar jeg er pa besok i Norge, sa er det ett skolebrod med ettermiddags kaffen!
English
Skolebrød is a favourite among both children and adults in Norway. Skolebrod is a small cake with vanilla cream, powdered sugar and coconut.
My special treat when I'm visiting Norway is skolebrød with afternoon coffee!
Image: roboppy under Creative Commons license
Lefse
Lefse is a traditional soft, Norwegian flatbread made from potato, milk or cream and flour.
It’s cooked on a griddle with special long turning sticks and rolling pins. The most popular flavouring is to roll it up in butter, but it may be enjoyed with any sweet or savoury filling including fish.
Image: Vrangtante Brun under Creative Commons license
Skillingsbolle
Skillingsbolle or kanelbolle is the popular Norwegian cinnamon roll, a firm favourite with adults and children alike.
The dough is left to leaven slowly overnight and then spread with butter, sugar and cinnamon before being shaped and left to rise again.
Image: Jill under Creative Commons license
Kneippbrod
Sebastian Kneipp, a German priest and doctor, was famous for his hydrotherapy cures. He also advocated the use of wholewheat flour in baking.
Norwegians probably consume more bread than most other Europeans, and the most popular type is the kneippbrod, named after Dr. Kneipp.
Image: dugspr under Creative Commons license
Skolebrød
Skolebrød, literally translated as ‘schoolbread’, is a very popular treat for children’s school lunches or special outings.
These delicious cakes are filled with a rich vanilla cream and dipped in shredded coconut to provide the tasty topping.
Image: roboppy under Creative Commons license
Surdeigsbrød
Surdeigsbrød translates as soda bread.
Image: Atle Brunvoli under Creative Commons license
Loff
Loff is a plain white loaf used for sandwiches, which may be open or closed.
Image: Atle Brunvoli under Creative Commons license
Flatbrød
Flatbrød translates literally as ‘flatbread’, a traditional unleavened bread enjoyed in Norway since the earliest times.
Its usually made from barley flour, although in some regions it may also include mashed potato. There are numerous variations today, but the secret is to roll it out as thinly as possible.
Image: Atle Brunvoli under Creative Commons license
Grove rundstykker
Grove rundstykker are multigrain rolls. They are often served at breakfast alongside many other varieties of bread and cereals.
Image: aarsvoin under Creative Commons license
Knekkebrød
Knekkebrød is Norwegian for the high fibre crispbreads, now found in supermarkets throughout Europe and North America, made by a wide range of manufacturers.
Crispbreads are typically made from rye flour and probably originated in Scandinavia about 500 years ago. They are popular amongst people looking for high fibre and low calorie diets.
Image: testspiel under Creative Commons license
Rugbrød
Rugbrød is the wholesome and hearty Norwegian rye bread, a staple for every household.
Image: tuey under Creative Commons license
English
Spain has many different breads, but the product that best reflects the geographic and cultural diversity is the empanada, because each region has adapted the fillings to the local produce. Religion has played a very important role in shaping Spanish baking traditions. During the Muslim invasion, Spaniards stated their Christianity by eating a lot of pork, hence the wide use of chorizo in empanada fillings and the inclusion of pork fat where other cultures would use butter. Many specialities such as tarta de Santiago are linked to a particular Christian saint, and Spanish nuns are famous for the range of cakes and biscuits sold in their convents.
Spanish
España tiene gran variedad de panes, pero el producto que mejor refleja su diversidad geográfica y cultural es la empanada, ya que cada región la rellena con los productos locales. La religión también desempeñó un papel importante en las tradiciones gastronómicas. Durante la invasión musulmana, se afirmaba la propia cristiandad comiendo mucho cerdo, rellenando las empanadas de chorizo y usando manteca de cerdo en lugar de mantequilla. Muchas especialidades como la tarta de Santiago están relacionadas con algún santo, y las monjas españolas son famosas por los dulces y pastas que venden en sus conventos.
Audio transcript
-Hola buenas tardes -Buenas tardes. ¿Me pone un roscón de Reyes para seis personas por favor? -Un roscón de Reyes, aquí tiene. -Muchas gracias -De nada, adiós. -Adiós, hasta luego.
Translation
-Hello, good afternoon -Good afternoon. Could I have a roscón for six people please? -One roscón, there you are. -Thank you. -You’re welcome. Bye! -Bye.
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Spanish
Cuando voy a una panadería en España, me gusta comprar madalenas. Existen madalenas en otros países de Europa, pero las madalenas españolas tienen un sabor especial, un poquito más rústico, más mediterráneo, tal vez porque llevan aceite de oliva. Para mí tienen el sabor de los desayunos de mi infancia, y para mi hija también. Yo las mojo en el café y ella en el chocolate. ¡Están riquísimas!
English
When I go to the baker’s in Spain I like to buy madalenas. There are fairy cakes in other European countries, but Spanish madalenas have a special flavour, a bit more rustic, more Mediterranean, perhaps because they are made with olive oil. To me they have the taste of my childhood breakfasts, and it’s the same for my daughter. I dunk mine into my coffee and she dunks hers into her chocolate. They’re just delicious!
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La hogaza
Hogaza bread is especially popular in the northern areas of Castille but can also be found in other regions and indeed other Spanish-speaking countries. It is a soft, rustic crusty bread, round in shape and weighing about 500 g.
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La ensaimada
Ensaimada is a spiral-shaped soft cake from the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, typically eaten with coffee for breakfast or in the afternoon. The name ensaimada comes from saïm, the local name for a kind of reduced pork fat used in the original recipe.
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Los polvorones
Polvorones are small cakes made of almond, flour, sugar, and animal fat. They are typically eaten at Christmas and come from the village of Estepa in Seville. Each small cake is wrapped in thin paper and you crush it between both hands to prevent it from crumbling when you bite into it.
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La madalena
Shaped exactly like fairy cakes, madalenas have a distinctive Spanish flavour because they are made with olive oil instead of butter. They are rarely eaten by themselves as they do not have a filling or topping, but are delicious dunked in coffee, hot chocolate or milk.
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La pistola
Pistola bread is a crusty, medium sized loaf. It is the most common everyday bread in the Madrid region of Spain. In other regions, pistola bread is toasted and used for making an earthy type of bread soup called sopas.
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El roscón de Reyes
Roscón de Reyes is a large, doughnut-shaped sweet bread which is typically eaten with hot chocolate on 6th January to celebrate the Epiphany. The cake is usually shared as a ritual in the New Year, and contains a small object as a ‘surprise’ for one of the eaters.
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El pa de pages
Pa de pages is a crusty rustic bread from Catalonia, in north east Spain. It is the perfect bread for pa amb tomàquet, a slice of lightly toasted bread rubbed with a clove of garlic, covered with fresh tomato pulp and topped with a slice of Serrano ham and a dash of olive oil.
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El bizcocho
Bizcocho is literally translated as sponge. Bizcochos are finger-shaped sponge biscuits which are specially designed to be dunked into a hot drink.
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La empanada
Empanada is a large rectangular pie with a savoury filling that is normally cut into portions. Every region of Spain has its own variety of empanada with fillings that range from chorizo to octopus, including a number of vegetarian versions. Individual empanadas are known as empanadillas and can be either baked or fried.
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La tarta de Santiago
Tarta de Santiago is made of almond, egg, sugar and butter. It is from Santiago de Compostela in the Galicia region, north west Spain. It is named after Santiago (St James) who is the patron saint of Galicia and Spain. The cross of Santiago is indeed always featured on the top of this tart. Just like Catalonia and the Basque Country, Galicia has its own official language, Galician, which has equal status to Spanish.
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English
There is a huge variety of bread types in Germany. German families buy their bread in one of many bakeries found on German high streets, either independent or part of local chains such as Dat Backhus or Nur Hier in Hamburg. Rye bread is the most popular. It can be made of pure rye flour or with mixed flours, with or without grains and seeds. On a Sunday afternoon it's quite typical to sit with friends and family members for coffee and cake. Favourites include Black Forest gateau, streusel cake or gugelhupf. During advent, people will have stollen and lebkuchen instead.
German
Es gibt eine riesige Vielfalt von Brotsorten in Deutschland. Deutsche Familien kaufen ihr Brot in einer der vielen unabhängigen Bäckereien oder in Läden von lokalen Ketten wie zum Beispiel Dat Backhus oder Nur Hier in Hamburg. Roggenbrot ist die beliebteste Sorte. Es kann aus reinem Roggenmehl oder aus gemischten Mehl hergestellt werden, mit oder ohne Körner und Samen. An einem Sonntagnachmittag ist es üblich, mit Freunden und Familie beim Kaffee und Kuchen zu sitzen. Dazu gibt es dann Schwarzwälder-Kirschtorte, Streuselkuchen oder Gugelhupf. Im Advent, werden Christstollen und Lebkuchen gereicht.
Audio transcript
-Guten Tag. -Hallo. Ein kleines Rogenmischbrot, bitte. -Bitteschön. Darf es noch etwas sein? -Nein Danke. Das ist alles. -Auf Wiedersehen. -Tschüss!
Translation
-Hello. -Hello. A small loaf of mixed rye bread please. -Here you are. Would you like anything else? -No thank you. That’s it. -Goodbye! -Goodbye.
Image: marttj under Creative Commons license
German
Wenn ich zum Bäcker gehe, kaufe ich gerne eine Butterbrezel. Butterbrezeln sind eine schwäbische Spezialität aber man bekommt Sie heute überall in Süddeutschland. Die Brezeln schmecken am besten, wenn sie frisch aus dem Ofen kommen und die Butter auf der Brezel schmilzt.
English
When I go into a bakery, I like to buy a buttered brezel. Buttered brezels are a Schwabian speciality, but nowadays you can get them all over the south of Germany. Buttered brezels are best when they are fresh from the oven and the butter is melting on it.
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Das Roggenmischbrot
Roggenmischbrot is a sweet mixed flour rye bread with molasses.
It goes well with salted butter and the distinctive flavour and texture is created by using sprouted rye grains.
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Die Schwarzwälderkirschtorte
Schwarzwälderkirschtorte, Black Forest gateau, is popular in English cafés and restaurants. Kirschwasser, the cherry flavour liquor in the gateau, is distilled in the Black Forest region of Germany and parts of Switzerland. The best place to find genuine Black Forest gateau is, of course, Germany. There are strict regulations covering the quantities of kirschwasser, whipped cream, buttercream and cocoa in this triple-layer celebration cake.
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Der Stollen
Stollen originates from Dresden, where Christstollen have been baked at Christmas since 1486.
This traditional spicy yeast cake contains butter, raisins, almonds, candied peel and marzipan. Stollen has become a popular part of Christmas festive events from Europe to the United States.
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Die Laugenbrezel
Distinctly knotted 'pretzels' are popular throughout Germany with many regional variations. Laugenbrezel is a Swabian speciality 'pretzel', with a unique crisp brown crust and lovely soft centre. How did it acquire this special crust? One story tells of a 19th century Munich baker's mistake in brushing pretzel dough with cleaning solution instead of sugar water! 'Natronlauge', 'lye' or a very weak solution of sodium hydroxide remains the secret ingredient for the brown crust.
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Das Pumpernickelbrot
Pumpernickelbrot is the dense, slightly sweet, dark rye bread with no crust, originating from the Westphalia region of Germany. Traditionally, it's baked in covered tins for up to 24 hours, on a very low heat, in a steam-filled oven. Pumpernickel may be found on delicatessen counters across Europe and North America, usually produced in Germany and packed pre-sliced for serving hors d’oeuvres.
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Das Franzbrötchen
Franzbrötchen is a small, flat, sweet pastry traditionally made with butter and cinnamon puff pastry.
Similar to the French croissant, it originates from Hamburg, but is now found across northern German cities where Franzbrötchen is served for breakfast with other pastries and coffee.
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Der Gugelhupf
Gugelhupf is a traditional large cake baked in a special ring-shaped tin. It's generally eaten in the afternoon with coffee. Originating in Vienna, gugelhupf is popular throughout Austria and Germany. The soft yeast dough is baked with almonds, raisins and kirschwasser to provide different flavours. There are many variations on the traditional recipe today like marmorgugelhupf and reindling. The shape is the common ingredient.
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Der Käsequarkkuchen
Käsequarkkuchen is literally translated as baked cheesecake. Cheesecake is a popular dessert across Europe and North America, with many variations in recipe and ingredients. In Germany, käsequarkkuchen is made with quark or other fresh, unripened cheese rather than cream cheese, and baked with a fruit filling. It's best served chilled as a summertime dessert with a cup of coffee.
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Der Lebkuchen
Lebkuchen are Christmas biscuits made of honey and nut gingercake. They are made in different shapes and taste sweet and nutty with a spicy aroma.
There are many regional variations for lebkuchen around Germany but this traditional favourite probably originates from Nuremberg.
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Der Streuselkuchen
Streuselkuchen is literally translated as crumb cake. It may be used to describe the wide range of cakes, popular throughout Germany, with a crumble topping made with white granulated sugar, flour and butter.
The cakes are usually baked on a dough base. These cakes are typically filled with vanilla cream or fruit.
Image: Katrin Morenz under Creative Commons license
English
Types of bread in the Netherlands have historically been divided east-west and north-south, determined by the cereal that was grown. In the south-west wheat was grown on the clay soil and brown bread was baked from this. In the south and east rye bread was eaten because of rye and oat harvests. White bread used to indicate status. For centuries Dutch bakers produced white bread for the rich and dark bread for ordinary folk. After the Second World War, our understanding of health and consumer choice were redrawn. Now the dark, coarse loaves are considered healthier and more upmarket.
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Dutch
Historisch gezien is er een scheiding in soorten brood, oost-west en ook noord-zuid. Dat heeft te maken met wat er verbouwd werd. In het zuidwesten werd tarwe verbouwd op kleigrond, en daar at men bruinbrood. In het zuiden en oosten werd met name roggebrood gegeten omdat daar rogge en haver werden verbouwd. Wit brood gaf status. Eeuwenlang bakten bakkers voor de notabelen het wittebrood en gewoon brood voor het gewone volk. Echter, na WO2 ontstond er een herdefiniëring van wat gezond en luxe is en nu worden de roggebrood en ander grof tarwemeel brood gezien als luxe, en gezonder.
Dutch
Onze ouders waren niet arm, maar wij hadden het niet breed. Via, via mochten wij, drie oudsten, mee op kamp: ‘De Grote Beer’ op Terschelling. Wij waren gelovig en moesten van onze ouders iedere zondag naar de kerk. Dus vroeg in de ochtend, met maar een of twee andere kinderen, en begeleiding. Als wij weggingen, waren ze net bezig het ontbijt voor iedereen klaar te maken en omdat het zondag was, kregen we suikerbrood. Dat hadden wij nog nooit gegeten, puur luxe en verwennerij. Dik besmeerd met roomboter. Wij kregen altijd twee of drie stukken mee en zaten onderweg en waarschijnlijk ook nog in de kerk te smikkelen. Nooit heeft brood zo lekker gesmaakt als toen!
English
Our family was not poor but there was no cash around for luxury. Through connections we three eldest children, were allowed to join a summer camp ‘the Big Bear’ on Terschelling. We were religious and our parents insisted we attend mass each Sunday. Very early in the morning off we went, a few children with guardians. As we set off, breakfast was being prepared for everybody. Because it was Sunday, we were given suikerbrood. We had never tasted this before in our lives, such luxury, covered in thick butter. We were given an extra couple of pieces and were nibbling those along the way, and probably also in the back of the church. Bread never tasted this good!
Image: © Dave J. van der Waa
De ontbijtkoek
Ontbijtkoek translates literally as a breakfast cake. This popular Dutch cake is spiced with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. It’s often served with coffee in the morning and at children’s parties.
Image: © iStockphoto
Het krentenbrood
Krentenbrood is raisin bread. In olden times this bread, in lengths of 50 cm, was given to women just after giving birth as they were deemed too weak and with this they did not need to do any baking for a couple of days.
Image: © Dave J. van der Waa
De stroopwafel
Dutch stroopwafel are delicious with a cup of coffee. They’re made with two layers of very thin waffle, with syrup in between.
Image: © iStockphoto
De moorkop
Moorkop is the Dutch version of the French éclair.
It’s a round, large, chocolate covered, cream filled choux pastry topped with a large extra portion of cream.
Image: © iStockphoto
De tompoes
Tompoes is made from two layers of rectangular puff pastry with thick custard in between and a bright pink glaze on top.
This Dutch sweet dessert really brightens up the day!
Image: © iStockphoto
Het kadetje
Kadetje is a small bun traditionally decorated with a diagonal indent along the top.
Image: © Dave J. van der Waa
Het suikerbrood
Suikerbrood is a sweet, eggy loaf with lumps of sugar baked inside.
It’s served thickly buttered and makes a wonderful treat on Sundays.
Image: © Dave J. van der Waa
Het roggebrood
Dutch roggebrood is black, dark and baked in a square tin.
Baked from rye water and salt, it’s inextricably linked with raw herring and pea soup.
Image: Erik Tjallinks under Creative Commons license
Het paasbrood
Paasbrood is a special raisin bread filled with almond paste or marzipan and covered with icing sugar.
It is similar to the German stollen baked at Christmas.
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Het meergranenbrood
Meergranenbrood is bread made from more than one type of wheat flour.
Image: © Dave J. van der Waa
Het melkbrood
Melkbrood is baked from dough made with milk instead of water.
Image: © Dave J. van der Waa
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