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Franzbrötchen

Hamburg's crunchy hometown pastry

From: Hamburg, Germany

Holsten Bakery Franzbroetchen sack

Franzbroetchen

ABOVE: A Franzbrötchen baker's bag and the treasure within.

One of Hamburg's culinary treats is the Franzbrötchen, a sweet roll made with Hamburg's version of Danish pastry dough.

According to legend, Napoleon's troops introduced croissants to Hamburg during the French occupation of the city from 1806 to 1814. The local bakers and their German customers preferred a sweeter product, so the bakers doused their heavier version of croissant dough with a mixture of butter and sugar, added cinnamon (and occasionally raisins), and let the ersatz croissants carmelize in the oven.

Nearly 200 years later, the rolls which became known as Franzbrötchen are still a staple of Hamburg bakeries, although they're virtually unknown in other parts of Germany. Be sure to try at least one during your visit to Hamburg--preferably on an empty stomach, and with a cup of coffee close at hand.

Related link:

The Franzbrötchen Site
Manfred Beseler's site is packed with information about the Franzbrötchen, baking competitions, and more. The text is in German, but you can use Google Translate if you don't read Deutsch.


Related articles:
Hamburg City Guide
Sightseeing Boats and Harbor Tours
BallinStadt Emigration Museum
Hempel's Beatles Tour
Steigenberger Hotel Hamburg
Dr. Tomas H. Kaiser (private tourist guide)

Also see:
HAPAG Halle Cuxhaven (Steubenhöft)

About the author:

Durant Imboden photo.Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation.

After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (now including Germany for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post.

For more information, see About Europe for Visitors, press clippings, and reader testimonials.