Christmas Zelten: The cake of Christmas tradition of Alto Adige

How to cook Zelten? Widespread in a region rich in similar but different traditions, the Zelten is not the same everywhere in South Tyrol. From valley to valley some ingredients are different, and even in every family there can be variations. However, there are some basic ingredients in the dough that everyone uses, here is the Christmas Zelten recipe for 4 people.

Ingredients:

Water

20 g of yeast

2 tablespoons of sugar

150 g of flour

100 g rye flour

15 g of salt

1 tablespoon of oil

1 teaspoon of aniseed

1 teaspoon of cumin

500 g of dried figs, diced or striped

250 g of raisins

120 g of sultana

120 g of dried fruit (hazelnuts, nuts, peanuts) comminuted

120 g pine nuts

50 g candied lemon peel

50 g of candied orange peel

50 ml white wine

3 tablespoons of rum

70 g of honey

½ grated lemon rind

½ grated orange peel

½ teaspoon of cinnamon

1 pinch of clove powder

1 allspice thumbtack

1 nutmeg thumbtack

walnuts, hazelnuts, peeled almonds and candied cherries to decorate

honey or sugar syrup to brush.

Preparation:

Mix the yeast and sugar with the hot water and leave to rise for 10 minutes. Add the flour, rye flour, salt, oil, aniseed and cumin and work the mass with a kneading machine. Leave to rise at 35 degrees (covering the dough) for 30 minutes. Marinate for at least 1 hour in rum and honey figs, raisins, sultanas, walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, cedar, candied orange peel in white wine, so that the Zelten takes a good aroma. Add lemon and orange peel, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Mix well with the kneading machine the bread dough with the marinated fruits and nuts.

Form round Zelten with a heart-shaped or elongated shape and decorate them with walnuts and almonds. Place them on a baking tray and let them rest for another 20 minutes. Cook at 170 degrees for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, often brushing them with honey or sugar in syrup until they take on a deep brown color. Let them cool, decorate with candied cherries and then wrap them in a transparent film.

The Christmas Zelten is a dessert of Central European origin based on dried fruit and candied fruit that is usually prepared during Advent throughout South Tyrol. Its name is reminiscent of the German word "selten" which precisely means “sometimes” because Zelten is not prepared in all seasons of the year, but at Christmas time. There is evidence of this cake in a manuscript of the 18th century preserved in the library of Rovereto.

Dating back to the XVIIIth century, this cake was prepared on December 13 and then offered during the Christmas holidays. According to another tradition, Zelten was prepared on the day of the winter solstice with all the members of the family involved in the preparation, especially the young women who participated with a special committment. The Zelten was indeed donated to their respective fiancés or future husbands. Therefore, a large one was made for the whole family while smaller ones to donate.

According to the tradition, the Zelten was prepared on December 21, the eve of St. Thomas, with the girls invoking the saint to bring love into their lives during the preparation of the cake. Before baking the cake, the mother marked the center of the cake with a cross and blessed it. Once it was ready, the Zelten was again blessed and placed in the cupboard to be eaten according to one tradition with the family at Christmas, on the return from midnight mass, according to another, the cake was eaten on the Twelfth Night.