While the brittle cake was once an indispensable element of Hungarian weddings, nowadays it scarcely seen on the table of young couples. Although the brittle is a true hungaricum, its making is not a safe task by far, rendering the passing of knowledge hard.
Brittle is a dessert consisting of chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds or other oil seeds mixed with melted sugar or honey which was known as a throat remedy in folk medicine in the Xth century. According to the dictionary, the word brittle is of French descent, at the end of the 1400s it was the seventh course at the wedding of King Matthias and Queen Beatrix, reports HelloVidék.
As the tradition goes, the young couple breaks up the brittle, and the number of pieces will tell how many happy years they will spend together.
Although in gastronomy, the brittle belongs to confectionery, not many pastry-cooks bother with it mainly because it is so time-consuming. In order for each brittle cake to be detailed and well-sculpted, days or even weeks have to be devoted to the task.
Its decline in popularity is also because there is not a set way, an exact recipe to work of. Here is one take on the sweet treat:
Additionally, sculpting it into various shapes is no easy or safe task. Just about a hundred Hungarian people remained who can work the brittle on a high level.
Out of the surrounding countries, mainly Hungarians know about this brown, sugary treat. An expert from Baja revealed that she had many orders from foreigners so far; for a Transylvanian priest inauguration ceremony, from Germany, France, South-Italy and even from Egypt at the request of a diplomat.
Source: hellovidek.hu
