Berliner

The Berliner is a round, sweet yeast dough fried in lard or oil and filled with jam, custard or cream. It is a traditional pastry of Germany, Austria and Central Europe, and it has spread across the world through German emigration, taking different names in each place.

History

The pastry grows out of the tradition of fried yeast doughs in northern Germany. The earliest known recipe for a jam-filled version appears in Kuechenmeisterei, a cookbook printed in Nuremberg in 1485 and reissued for nearly two centuries. It is unknown whether its author invented the filling or simply recorded an existing practice.

Until the 16th century sugar was expensive, so early fried doughs were often stuffed with savoury fillings such as cheese, meat or mushrooms. Sugar imported from Caribbean plantations later made fruit preserves more affordable and popular.

German emigration carried the pastry to North America and much of Latin America, where each country adapted the recipe and gave it its own name. Chile, Paraguay and Costa Rica kept versions close to the original, while Mexico and Venezuela developed their own shapes and fillings.

Culture

In Germany the Berliner has long been linked to New Year's Eve and the carnival season, and today it is sold year-round in bakeries and patisseries. In the south and in Austria it is called Krapfen, and other parts of Central Europe use variants such as kreppel or krafne.

In Argentina and Uruguay it is known as bolas de fraile or berlinesa and is eaten at breakfast, in the afternoon or with mate. In Chile, where it is called berlín, it is served at the afternoon tea known as la once, usually filled with custard, manjar or quince, peach or plum jam.

In Costa Rica it is called cremita, and in Mexico pelona, often filled with manjar. In Paraguay, street sellers known as bolleros offer it in towns such as Areguá and San Bernardino. In Venezuela it is called bomba, and in Lara state, pavita.

Trivia