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Black Forest Cake Is Named After The German Mountain Range. What Fairy Tales Are Based On The Mountain Range?

March 28th recognizes a food holiday known as National Black Forest Cake Day. Black Forest cake is the English name for the German dessert Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, meaning “Black Forest cherry torte.”

  • 16th Century – Famous for its sour cherries, black forest cake originates in the German town, of Bad Godesberg.
  • 1915 – The black forest cake was first made by Josef Keller in 1915. He was a pastry chef in a café named Ahrend in Bad Godesberg. He called it “SchwarzwälderKirsch” which means “Black Forest Cherry”.
  • 1919 – Dr. E. H. Weigand, in 1919, further developed the maraschino cherries recipe by using a brining process instead of the usual alcohol technique.
  • 1930 – Locals of Tübingen claim they began making their own black forest cake in their town, 15 years after Keller’s version.
  • 1934 – The earliest published written record of Black Forest cake was in 1934, by John Martin Erich Weber, a German confectioner, in his book ‘250 Konditorei-Spezialitäten und wie sie entstehen’, translated in English literally as ‘250 pastry specialties and how they originate’.
  • 1949 – Today (2024), Black Forest cake is well known worldwide and one of the most popular cakes in Germany, though it was only listed as the thirteenth most famous German cake in 1949.
  • 2015 –  Black forest cake celebrates 100 years of existence — Keller’s story is believed to be the most authentic one.
  • The cake is named after the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) mountain range in southwestern Germany. The forests in “Hansel and Gretel”, “Snow White”, and “Rapunzel” are based on the Black Forest.
  • The region grows a variety of tart cherries that lend the spirit its unique flavor, and in turn, provide a notable and local flavor to the Black Forest Cherry-Torte.
  • The black forest cake originally comes from Germany. It was initially called Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, which means Black Forest Cherry Torte or Black Forest Gateau in German.
  • Typically, Black Forest cake consists of several layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherries between each layer.
  • In some European traditions, sour cherries are used both between the layers and for decorating the top.
  • Traditionally, Kirschwasser (a clear liquor distilled from tart cherries) is added to the cake, although other liquors are also used.
  • Today, the black forest cake is among the top ten cakes that are famous and loved all around the world.
  • Though one might think the Black Forest region of Germany has something to do with a name like Black Forest cake, one would be almost correct but not quite. The brandy used to make the cake is called Schwarzwald Edel Kirsch or Black Forest Nobel Cherry. The cherries and the liquor that is distilled from them all come from the Black Forest region of Germany.
  • Black Forest cake likely gets its ingredients from an outfit worn by women in the Black Forest. The whole dress was black (chocolate), the top half was creamy white (whipped cream), and the hat was wrapped with red poms-poms (cherries).
  • Maraschino cherry facts:
    • Maraschino cherries lose a lot of their nutrients during the bleaching and brine processes, not to mention the fact that they are high in sugar.
    • The bright red dye used for maraschino cherries contains a carcinogen called benzidine and this can cause bladder cancer.
    • While red is one of the most common colors used, maraschino cherries also come in other shades like gold, green, blue, yellow, etc.

Sources

National Day Calendar

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