 Schmoo torte on a plate | |
| Type | Cake |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Region or state | Western Canada |
| Main ingredients | Whipped cream,brown sugar,nuts |
Schmoo torte is aCanadian dessert. Although it is relatively popular and well-known nationwide,[1] it is most famous inWestern Canada, especiallyManitoba.[2][3][4] It is atorte with layeredwhipped cream,brown sugar, and nuts, commonly made usingangel food orsponge cake.
The schmoo torte was first invented in 1948 by a Winnipeg mother, Dora Zaslavsky, for her son Murray'sBar Mitzvah inWinnipeg, Manitoba.[3][5] Zaslavsky was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who arrived to Canada in 1914.[5] She started introducing her recipes to Winnipeg via a catering business to support her family financially when her husband became ill.[5] Zaslavsky's catering business eventually expanded across North America.[5] Her schmoo torte became a favourite of singerHarry Belafonte.[5]
Murray's daughter Shannon Aceman stated in an interview that her grandmother's schmoo torte "was basically a mix of about three or four of her other best-known recipes for cakes with the rum torte."[5] Jewish food historian Kat Romanow told CTV News Winnipeg that schmoo is reminiscent of a central-European dessert called nusstorte.[5] Romanow told CTV News: "In many cases, the dishes that Ashkenazi Jews brought with them to Canada came to be iconic dishes of their new homes."[5]
How the schmoo got its name is unknown, however, some claim it comes from the name of thecomic book creatures fromAl Capp’sLi’l Abner.
 | ThisCanadian cuisine-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
