“As German as apple strudel” should in the name of accuracy really be: “As Habsburgian as apple strudel”. Habsburg was of course the 18th century Vienna-headquartered empire spanning parts or all of today’s Austria, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia and 14 other countries.

All the places where strudel is found.

However, the roots of this ‘European’ staple are actually Turkish, suggests Dr Friederich Kunz in his delightful history of the strudel in the bakery and confectionary trade forum Wissensforum Backwaren (in German only but recipes are included).

So, apple baklava, anyone? ω