 Kringle | |
| Type | Pastry |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Scandinavia |
Kringle (/ˈkrɪŋɡəl/,listenⓘ) is aNorthern Europeanpastry, a variety ofpretzel. Pretzels were introduced by Roman Catholic monks in the 13th century inDenmark, and from there they spread throughout Scandinavia and evolved into several kinds of sweet, salty or filled pastries, all in a characteristic pretzel-like twisted shape.
InDanish andNorwegian, the word iskringle;Estonian:kringel;Latvian:kliņģeris;Swedish:kringla;Finnish:rinkeli;German:Kringel andIcelandic:kringla. The word originates from theOld Norsekringla, meaning ring or circle.
In theNetherlands, a particular type of sweet kringle is well known under theDutch namekrakeling.
The shape of the kringle has given name to a similarly entangled feature found in someproteins, the so-calledkringle domain.
In Denmark,kringle denotes thepretzel-like knotted shape rather than the pretzel pastry type.Kringler (the plural ofkringle) may be made frompuff pastry (likeDanish pastry) oryeast dough, filled withremonce ormarzipan andraisins, sprinkled with coarse sugar, nut flakes or icing.[1] Other types of kringles in Denmark includesaltkringler, which are small saltykringler — the Scandinavian equivalent of pretzels — andkommenskringler, which are half-hand-sized breads in the kringle shape, made from unsweetened yeast dough spiced withcaraway seeds.Sukkerkringler are similar, but sweet pretzels, sprinkled with sugar instead of caraway.[2]Fødselsdagskringler are a large sweet pretzel for birthday celebrations.[3]Smørkringler are large crusty and sweet pretzels with a spread of butter on the backside.Smørkringler are not as popular nowadays.[4][5][1]
Kringler have a long history in Denmark, and are still popular items in modern Danish bakeries. Nowadays, kringles are usually made with only one crossing and not two, as in the original kringle and pretzel shape.[6][7][8]
InNorway,kringle orkringla often refer to yeasted, ring‑shaped pastries, sometimes filled withcinnamon sugar, almonds, or jam. A common shape is a wreath made of connected cinnamon buns; similar to an almond kringle orklippekrans in Norwegian baking tradition.[9][10][11]
InSweden,kringla (pluralkringlor) refers to small, pretzel‑shaped sweet or bread‑like pastries typically served with coffee (fika).[12][13] One well‑known variant is thesockerkringla, a sugar‑twisted soft bun made from enriched yeast dough infused withcardamom, dipped in melted sugar and also often enjoyed during Swedishfika, especially around holiday seasons.[14] Bakers inSödertälje andArboga are noted for local specialties such asSödertäljekringlan, a coffee‑served kringla that helped earn Södertälje the nickname “pretzel city”.[15] Another variation,choklad‑kringlor, are chocolate‑flavoured, nut‑topped kringles, once so ubiquitous that old‑style bakeries would hang a kringle sign outside in Sweden.[16]
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In theUnited States, kringles are hand-rolled from Danish pastry dough (wienerbrød dough) that has been rested overnight before shaping, filling, and baking.[17] Many sheets of the flaky dough are layered, then shaped into an oval. After filling with fruit, nut, or other flavor combinations, the pastry is baked and iced.[18]
Racine, Wisconsin, has historically[19] been a center of Danish-American culture and kringle-making.[20][21][22][23][24] A typical Racine-made kringle is a large, flat oval measuring approximately 14 inches by 10 inches (35 cm by 25 cm) and weighing about 1.5 lb (680 g).[25][26][27][18] The kringle became the official state pastry ofWisconsin on June 30, 2013.[28] Today, several of the original family-owned bakeries established in the 1930s and 1940s that continue the tradition of making kringles include Lehmann’s,Bendtsen’s, andO&H Danish Bakery.[29] A Wisconsin distillery inMiddleton, Wisconsin, makes a kringle-flavoredcream liqueur from Wisconsin cream, rum, sugar, and natural kringle flavor.[30]
In other parts of the United States, kringle may refer to a slightly sweet buttermilk cookie shaped like a pretzel or figure eight.[31]
Other places where kringles may be found in the United States include theBallard area ofSeattle, Washington;Redmond, Washington;Solvang, California;Story City, Iowa;Burr Ridge, Illinois;Springfield, Missouri, andWatertown, Massachusetts.[citation needed] In 2005,Dana College inBlair, Nebraska, held a Kringle Kontest, which was won by Kirsten's Danish Bakery ofBurr Ridge, Illinois.
Baker'sguilds inEurope have used the kringle or pretzel as a symbol for centuries. It is told (though currently unconfirmed by historic documents), that whenVienna was besieged by the Turkish Ottoman armies in 1529, local bakers working in the night gave the city defence an early warning of the attacking enemy. For this, they were later rewarded by thePope with permission to use a crown as part of their kringle guild symbol.
The guild in Denmark is now the only baker's guild in the world with official authority to display aroyal crown as part of their baker's guild trade symbol that is often hung outside of bakery shops.[6][32]
Ring and knot-shaped breads | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ring-shaped |  | |
| Knot-shaped | ||
