Runeberg torte facts for kids
Fazer's Runeberg torte
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| Type | Pastry |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Porvoo, Finland |
| Associated national cuisine | Finnish |
| Created by | Fredrika Runeberg |
| Invented | 1850s |
| Main ingredients | Flour, bread crumbs, Almond meal, rum or arrack, raspberry jam, sugar |
The Runeberg torte (Finnish: runebergintorttu; Swedish: Runebergstårta) is a special Finnish pastry. It's a small, sweet cake flavored with almonds and a hint of rum or a similar flavoring called arrack. Each torte weighs about 100 grams.
You can easily spot a Runeberg torte by its look. It usually has a dollop of raspberry jam in the middle. This jam is surrounded by a ring of white icing. It's a very popular treat in Finland.
This delicious torte is named after a famous Finnish poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804–1877). Legend says that Runeberg loved this torte very much. His wife, Fredrika Runeberg, supposedly made it for him often. He would even enjoy it for breakfast with a drink called punsch.
Runeberg tortes are mostly eaten in Finland. You can usually find them in stores from early January. They are especially popular leading up to Runeberg's birthday, which is on February 5th. In Porvoo, the city where Runeberg lived for many years, some cafés sell these tortes all year round!
Discovering the Runeberg Torte's Story
Many people believe that Fredrika Runeberg, the wife of the famous poet, created this dessert. Her own recipe book from the 1850s includes a recipe for a torte. This recipe is thought to be a new version of an older one.
The original idea might have come from a baker named Lars Astenius. He was a confectioner from Porvoo. So, while Fredrika Runeberg made the torte famous, its roots might go back even further!
