strudel

Picture a very thin sheet of dough, stretched out and rolled around a filling, then baked until crisp and golden. That is a strudel. It is strongly linked with Austrian cooking, and apple strudel is the best-known kind, usually made with apples, sugar, cinnamon, and often raisins.

Many people think of it as a sweet pastry, but it can also be savory. Some versions are filled with cheese, spinach, cabbage, or meat. When you see it on a menu, it usually means a rolled pastry made with thin dough and a rich filling.

Strudel (pronounced shtroo-del) is a layered pastry that originated in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with roots tracing back to Turkish baklava. The name is the German word for "whirl" or "vortex," referring to the way the dough is rolled into a spiral around its filling.

Traditionally, strudel dough is incredibly thin, so thin that people often say you can read a newspaper through it. This delicate pastry is made by stretching a simple dough until it is almost transparent, then brushing it with butter or oil and wrapping it around a filling. While apple strudel (Apfelstrudel) is the most famous variety, with spiced apples, raisins, and often breadcrumbs, strudels can be sweet or savory. You might also find cheese strudel, spinach strudel, cabbage strudel, cherry strudel, or meat-filled versions.

Making authentic strudel dough takes practice and skill. It is often served warm, dusted with powdered sugar, and eaten with whipped cream, vanilla sauce, or ice cream.

In everyday English, the word usually refers to the pastry itself, especially in food writing, menus, and conversation about desserts or Central European cooking. It can sometimes be used more loosely for pastries that copy this style, even when the dough is not fully traditional. Most of the time, though, it brings to mind a flaky rolled pastry with a fruit, cheese, vegetable, or meat filling.