If you ever browse touristic pictures of Prague, chances are you’ll come across snaps of trdelník in the matter of minutes, which are likely to make you crave for this food, even if you haven’t tried it before. Yes, they look that good! Usually filled with different types of ice cream and topped with fruit, sprinkles, cookies, syrups or other goodies, these sweet temptations can satisfy the pickiest eaters and make even those who don’t have a sweet tooth turn their heads.
Despite it commonly being associated with Prague, there is actually no proof that it originates from the city. It is traditionally referred to as a Slovak or Moravian pastry, but its popularity on social media is growing as the trendy street food of the Czech capital. Going under the name of trdelník, trdlo, chimney cake or Baumkuchen, it can be found in a number of countries in Central Europe-the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and in some parts of Romania. In fact, the first time I tried it was in Vienna from the Hefi Baumkuchen shop, close to Schwedenplatz and it is still my favourite so far.
The pastry is made from rolled dough, which is then wrapped around a metal or wooden stick, which gives it its distinctive shape. The dessert can either have a tube-like shape with openings on both sides, in which case it is usually served plain or coated with Nutella or white chocolate on the inner side, or it can come in the shape of a chunky cone, filled with ice cream and other toppings. The dough of the pastries that I tried in Prague was on its own not so sweet and flavorous and the taste came mainly from the filling. The one in Vienna, on the other hand, was more crunchy and sugary and had the aroma of spices that are normally used for Christmas cookies, especially cinnamon. I am not a big fan of cinnamon, but in this case the flavour was very well balanced and rich, which is probably why I preferred the Viennese tube-like Baumkuchen coated in milk or ruby chocolate much better.
You can actually have a full meal only with trdelník, because in Prague they offer a savoury version of it as well. The one that I had was from Good Food Coffee and Bakery. They have a couple of shops right next to Charles Bridge on the Eastern coast of the river, so you can’t really miss them. It was a bit like Caesar salad in a cone and I really enjoyed it. Thumbs up to Good Food for giving you the trdelník in a paper cup, which contains it all together and prevents you from spilling it all over you and staining your clothes. As amazing as those pastries look and taste, they can be a nightmare to eat, especially with the layer after layer of toppings that they are normally served with, and taking into account, that they are street food, which you are supposed to eat on-the-go. So arm yourself with wet wipes if you want to avoid walking around town with sticky fingers all day.
Bear in mind that although the trdelník is a type of street food, it doesn’t always come at the lowest price, compared to other kinds of to-go treats. This can be particularly hard to notice when the price is not in € or $, so if you are on a budget, make sure to calculate the equivalent in your own currency before you order.
As for the particular locations where you can find it, I can only give some pointers about Prague and Vienna. In Prague there are many shops that offer a big range of flavours in the whole central part of the city. They come in all kinds of colours and crazy toppings, with ice cream or whipped cream and fruit inside, so you are basically spoiled with choice. I can really recommend the savoury one and the one with mango ice cream from Good Food. In Vienna the place to go is Hefi, which is very close to the river in the area of Schwedenplatz, but there is also a cart with really aromatic trdelník in front of the shopping mall SCS in the outskirts of the city.
So go give it a try if you have the chance! It tastes good, it smells amazing, it makes for some killer Instagram photos- what more can you ask for from a dessert?!
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