Secret Sweets and Sweet Treats - map and recipes of what you'll enjoy on holiday in Europe

Salzburger Nockerln from the Goldener Hirsch Restaurant, In Salzburg, Austria. 

Photo courtesy of the Salzburg tourist board.

Problem
What shall I eat next? What's for tea? The British are famous for having a sweet tooth. We consume more sugar per capita than any other country. (We also have notoriously bad teeth, say the Americans.) We have imported cakes, biscuits, desserts and ingredients from all over the world.

In England you can eat: Banoffee Pie. Danish pastries. Rice pudding. Spotted Dick. Sticky toffee pudding. Treacle Tart. Christmas Pudding (which the Americans eat all year as plum pudding). At Christmas time we import seasonal specialities such as Stollen from Germany.

But why not enjoy local desserts on holiday to add to your memories and kitchen repertoire all year. And we keep inventing new things. Christmas pudding with hidden fruit in the middle at Waitrose supermarket. What if you are going away for Christmas, New Year or next year, what can you try?

Which sweets (desserts) can you enjoy in Europe? A wonderful interactive map has been designed. Click on it and you'll see the top three favourite desserts in each country and find recipes.

The movers behind this idea are Thomson Lakes and Mountains. They are part of the TUI group, an umbrella organization which includes lots of famous travel companies who you have probably travelled with or passed in the High Street:

Anyway, back to the sweet treats.

Jessica Fairfax of Kaizen Search marketing has sent me a neat summary of what you will find in 9 hotspots of Europe. These include (I've re-ordered her list of countries alphabetically.)

Austria – 

If you’re in Salzburg, be sure to sample the Nockerl, a "dumpling-style dessert" iconic to Austrian cuisine. The powdered sugar dusting is meant to signify the snow-covered mountain peaks.

Belgium

Waffles. Made in a waffle iron. The American version of waffles is different.

France – 

The Clafoutis is the baked fruit dessert from Limousin packed with black cherries, supposedly derived from the Occitan word ‘fill’. Fill up, indeed!

Germany  - 

The Berliner Pfannkuchen is the dessert responsible for JFK calling himself a doughnut, which, while not strictly true, adds some humorous history to a tasty treat.

Italy - 

The nougat-like treat Mandorlato Torrone is local to a small commune named Cologna Veneta. The region in the Province of Verona even has its own annual nougat festival!

Portugal - 

Lisbon’s Bolo Rei is a traditional cake covered with candied fruit often eaten around Christmas time.

Slovenia

Spain – 

The Torrija serves up what is essentially a variation of French toast, originating over 500 years ago and often made with alcohol.

Switzerland.

Fondue. Not just cheese. Also strawberries dipped in hot chocolate.

Fascinating. I thought the JFK story was about a sausage. Oh, well. As the popular saying goes: "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story."

Salzburger Nockerln
I can vouch for the splendour of a Salzburger Nockerln.

We hesitated to order it because it was expensive. But we had to try the local dish.

When we tried it, we were so delighted by it that we tried to track down the recipe. We could not find Salzburger Nockerln anywhere. Then we realised - that you simply look for Nockerln. When in Salzburg, call it Salzburger Nockerl.

I think the difference is that they serve it as one huge platter. It was a bit like a 'snow' with peaks of whipped white. When we ordered it, we were expecting to get a small plate each. The giant oval dish was enough to feed several.  After eating about a third, we were forced to give up.

We then had an awful thought. Maybe it was a platter for the whole restaurant!

Maybe we were supposed to have taken a small slice each. At the price we were charged per person, it would be a fortune if we were charged for three pieces each. Alternatively, if they were simply nice, they might be shocked by our ignorance and effrontery.

We called the waitress over. She told us that, no, the entire plate was for us. That explained the price.

The magic website:
www.secretsweets.com
http://www.secretsweets.co.uk/sweets/tarta-de-santiago

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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