A Streuselkuchen Story

In a recent blog, I informed you that Brussels had granted a protected geographical name to the Bavarian Brezn (pretzel). 

Baker Michael Tschirch in Görlitz bakes not pretzels but Schlesischer Streuselkuchen (Silesian crumb cake), and that of outstanding quality. With six regional shops and expanding his business, he decided to sell his cake online. He already had labels printed showing his cake within the outlines of former Prussian Silesia and had started advertising when he received a letter from Brussels. The EU bureaucrats informed him that the Original Schlesischer Streuselkuchen is name-protected for the now Polish part of lower Silesia, excluding all parts that belong to Germany and the Czech Republic.

Michael Tschirch and co-worker (©Der Spiegel)

In return, the Central Association of German Bakers sent a letter to Brussels questioning their decision since, for German bakers, the Schlesischer Streuselkuchen is part of the culture of all people with Silesian roots. They now live in Germany all over the place, baking the cake according to family tradition.

Not its geographical origin, but the generic concept of Streuselkuchen is important. In addition, the protected Polish word is kołacz slaski which translates into German as Schlesische Kolatsche and not as Schlesischer Streuselkuchen. Citing from COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 concerning kołacz slaski: The yeast cake is rectangular in shape. It is produced with cheese, poppy seed, or apple filling or with no fill and is about 3,5 cm (± 0,5 cm) high. The cake measures 40 × 60 cm (± 5 cm) and weighs about 5-6 kg.

Kołacz slaski (©Wikipedia)

In the meantime, a lawsuit was filed in Brussels, leading an Austrian judge to get so excited that he wrote in a private blog: Will they argue about the "true" Silesian borders over a Streuselkuchen? He had apparently remembered that in the 18th century and three bloody wars, Frederick the Great had stolen Silesia from Maria Theresa's Austria.

Baker Tschirch could not care less and is not waiting for the court's decision. He now markets his cake under a new and somewhat obscure name: Schlesischer Butterdrückstreusel (Silesian butter-pressed streusel), emphasizing crumbs more than the cake.

Schlesischer Butterdrückstreusel (©Bäckerei Tschirch)

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