Konditorei facts for kids
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A Konditorei (say: Kon-dee-tor-EYE) is a special kind of shop that sells many different kinds of pastries. It often works like a café too, where you can sit down and enjoy your treats. You can find these shops in many countries, especially in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of northern Europe like Denmark and Sweden.
In countries like Germany and Austria, it's a popular tradition to visit a Konditorei in the afternoon. People go there to enjoy a slice of cake with some coffee or hot chocolate. In Denmark and Sweden, similar places are called konditori or café/kafé.
To become a Konditor (say: Kon-dee-TOR), which is the special baker who works at a Konditorei, you usually need a lot of training. This often involves a long apprenticeship program. In the Czech Republic, these shops are called cukrárna, and in Poland, they are called cukiernia. Both words mean "sugar shop."
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What is a Konditorei?
The main thing a Konditorei does is sell delicious pastries. These pastries might be made right there in the shop, or they could come from another bakery. Besides pastries, these shops usually offer a variety of drinks. You can often find different types of coffees and soft drinks. Some larger Konditorei also sell ice cream and chocolates.
A Konditorei is different from a regular restaurant. Restaurants are usually open for lunch and dinner, but Konditorei are mostly open in the morning and afternoon. They are perfect for a sweet treat or a relaxing break.
The Story of the Konditor
The word Konditorei comes from the German word for a sweet shop, similar to a pâtisserie in France. The word Konditor (the baker) comes from the Latin word candire, which means "to candy fruits." It also relates to conditura, meaning "to prepare food" or "to preserve fruits."
Unlike a regular bakery that makes bread, a Konditorei focuses on the artistic side of baking. They create beautiful and tasty sweet treats. This special craft began when some bakers started adding sweet things like candied fruits to their bread dough.
Early Sweet Bakers
The job of a Konditor grew out of the work of regular bakers. Back in the 15th century, after bakers learned how to make good bread, some started making dough richer with honey, dried fruits, and spices. These specialized bakers were called Lebküchler. They even formed their own special group, or guild, in Germany in 1643.
These early sweet bakers also had another skill. They used wax, which was a leftover from honey. They became chandlers, making artistic candles and wax figures for churches and homes. They even carved their own wooden molds to create amazing wax pictures. Over time, these Lebküchler became the first confectioners, leading to today's Konditorei.
Sugar and Spices Arrive
In the past, spices and sugar came from the Eastern world to Italian port cities like Genoa and Venice. Sugar was very popular, but only wealthy people could afford it. At that time, the job of a confectioner was often linked to a pharmacist. This was because pharmacists were the main people who traded sugar.
Marzipan Creations
In the 14th century, people in central Europe learned about marzipan from the Venetians. Marzipan is a sweet treat made from almonds, sugar, and rose water. It was perfect for shaping into amazing figures. These figures were often painted with plant colors and sometimes even decorated with gold leaf.
The Rise of Chocolate
Chocolate first came to Germany in the early 1800s. Before that, wealthy ladies in Spain, Italy, and France had already been enjoying hot chocolate every day. A Dutch inventor named Coenraad Johannes van Houten found a way to press out the cocoa mass. This process created cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
With cocoa butter, chocolate could be thinned and poured into different shapes. Painting cakes with cocoa powder also became popular. This led to the birth of the "Chocolatier," a Konditor who specializes in working with chocolate. Chocolate quickly became a very important part of the Konditorei. A famous example is the chocolate cake created by Franz Sacher in Vienna in 1832. He was a chocolate cook for a prince.
Delicious Pastries
In the 19th century, sugar became much easier to find because of sugar beets. This led to the creation of many new cakes and pastries. The focus shifted from just decorative art to making light and delicious treats. Things like sponge cakes, almond pastries, apple strudel, Gugelhupf, and cream cakes became popular. These were often served with new drinks like coffee, tea, and chocolate.
Famous Konditors
Here are some people famous for their skills as Konditors:
- Nicolas Appert, a French inventor who found ways to preserve food.
- Heinrich Georg Erbshäuser, a baker from Munich who invented the Prinzregententorte cake.
- Johann Zauner (1803–1868)
- Anton Gerstner
- Christoph Demel
- Ludwig Heiner
- Louis Lehmann
- Wilhelm J. Sluka (1861–1932)
- Anton Rumpelmayer (1832–1914)
- Amaury Guichon (* 1991)
- Natalie Sideserf (* 1985)
