Fun parties, crazy costumes and children with broad smiles on their faces – how I just love carnival time. I recall my own childhood well. In colourful fancy dress, proud and happy after our annual school’s carnival ski race, standing around together biting into a carnival doughnut – those were the days.
At our house, carnival doughnuts are made every year, but why is the sweet doughnut filled with jam so popular at carnival time?
From “globuli” to “chraphen” – the origins of the “krapfen“ doughnut
Carnival doughnuts or Berliner, as they’re known in Germany were not invented yesterday and despite this or rather because of this – their origin is controversial. Up until now it’s not be conclusively proved when, where and by whom doughnuts were first made.
The discovery of small, doughnut-like cakes in an ancient Egyptian tomb plus pictures from the times of the Pharaoh Ramses III (around 1200 before Christ) suggest, that even the ancient Egyptians prepared fried cakes swimming in fat. Today’s doughnuts probably go back as far as the Romans: the doughnut-like cakes, which they called “globuli” (latin for small balls), were brought by Roman colonialists over the Alps to the Donau limes and to Vindobona (today’s Vienna) and served under the name of “Chraphen“ and thus this delicacy was already known in Vienna in the 9th century under the Middle High German name of Krapfo. The first “krapfen makers” were documented as far back as 1486.
Another legend says, that the sweet doughnuts were invented in the 17th century by a Viennese Court cook, by the name of Cäcilie Krapf, who during the Viennese Congress created her “Cilli balls“ – yeast dough balls filled with jam.
How the carnival doughnut came to carnival time
That’s easily explained: due to the lack of good food, back in the middle ages monks and priests recommended simple folk to eat the more nutritious doughnut instead of bread during the time leading up Lent, so that poorer people and children didn’t get weak or ill during the long fasting period. This custom was taken on by non-fasters too and has been upheld until today and makes the “Viennese Carnival Doughnut“ the most famous doughnut in the Austrian kitchen.
| Prep Time | 5 min |
| Cook Time | 80 min |
| Passive Time | 75 min |
| Servings |
Stück
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- 1000 g flour
- 3 EL sugar
- 500 ml milk
- 60 g lard
- 1 egg
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 TL salt
- 1 Würfel yeast
- 1 Abrieb Orange
- 2 cl apricot schnaps
- 1 l rapseed oil zum Backen
- 500 g apricot jam für die Füllung
- 4 cl apricot schnaps für die Füllung
- icing sugar zum Bestreuen
Ingredients
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- Mehl in die Schüssel sieben, Zucker, Salz, Ei, Eidotter, Butterschmalz, Milch, Orangenabrieb sowie den Schnaps gut vermischen, Germ darüber bröseln und ca. 10 – 12 Minuten mit der Maschine solange kneten, bis der Teig seidig glatt ist.
- Dann in eine Schüssel geben und mit einer Haushaltsfolie bedecken und im Backofen bei 30 Grad ca. 20 Minuten gehen lassen.
- Teig zusammenschlagen und nochmals 10 Minuten gehen lassen.
- Anschließend Teig zu Kugeln schleifen, auf ein bemehltes Tuch setzen, platt drücken und abdecken. 15 Minuten gehen lassen.
- Dann abdecken und in die Kälte stellen (damit sie eine ledrige Haut bekommen und sich dadurch nicht so stark mit Öl vollsaugen).
- Öl auf ca. 160 Grad erhitzen, die Krapfen mit der oberen glatten Seite ins Öl geben.
- Deckel drauf und 4 – 5 Minuten ausbacken. Danach umdrehen und ohne Deckel wieder 4 – 5 Minuten backen.
- Die Marillenmarmelade mit dem Marillenschnaps vermischen, in einen Spritzsack füllen und die Krapfen - nachdem man mit der Tülle ein Loch vorgestochen hat - mit der Marmelade füllen.
- Zum Schluss noch die fertigen Faschingskrapfen mit Staubzucker bestreuen, et voilà: Einer gelungenen Faschingsparty steht nichts mehr im Wege!
Tips & Info:
So now you fancy a doughnut? Why don’t you come to the Children’s Carnival Procession in Eben im Pongau on Shrove Tuesday, 5th March 2019 from 10.30 am!
Photo credits: TVB Eben, Daniel Sobiezki
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