A Swiss Macaron called Luxemburgerli

Most of you probably know the sensation when it seems you need to eat something sweet. For some people this is just a hunch, for others a definite craving. What sweets we eventually reach out to in this state of sugar craving depends largely on what is available in your country, region and - at the very moment - in your home.

In my experience, people have favorite sweets just like they have favorite savory dishes. These treats are many times what we phantasize about in our hypoglycemic state. For many it is chocolate in its different forms: classic chocolate bars, special chocolate bars like Toblerone or pralines. For others its wine gums or licorice and still others prefer a piece of carrot cake or a good brownie.

Almost everyone reaches out to a familiar candy or sweet food when they get the sugar craving. Here in Switzerland, chocolate is the most likely solution. Yet, there are also other very Swiss candies and pastries that work just as well for a sugar rush. One of them is the delicious Luxemburgerli.

What are Luxemburgerli?

Luxemburgerli are delicious bite-sized pastries that look a lot like a sweet mini hamburger. They are traditionally made of two biscuits with chocolate cream filling in between, much like the internationally known macarons. Luxemburgerli come in all colors and flavors, among them vanilla, chocolate, pistacchio, cappucino, chestnut, fig, champagne, raspberry and more.

Luxemburgerli are made by the confectionary Sprüngli in Zurich and can be bought at the main train station, in their shop on Bahnhofstrasse or online. The classic flavors like chocolate and bourbon vanilla are always available and every month there is a special 'flavor of the month Luxemburgerli'. 

By now, there are also several shops all over Switzerland selling duplicate Luxemburgerli under their own brand names, usually calling them macarons for copyright reasons. If you feel like making your own Luxemburgerli macarons, there are plenty of recipes available online.

The Origins of Luxemburgerli

The name 'Luxemburgerli' literally means 'small Luxembourgian'. Why would a Swiss pastry be named after another country in Europe? Legend has is that a Luxembourgian confectioner won a bakers competition in Zurich with his delicious macarons called 'baiser de mousse'. However, this has not been confirmed by Sprüngli.

In fact, the Sprüngli website describes the origin of the famous Luxemburgerli quite differently. In this official scenario Richard Sprüngli of the Sprüngli chocolatiers left home to gain experience abroad and somehow ended up in Luxembourg where a family of friends introduced him to the local macarons. He then was "gripped by the idea of making this delicious treat himself and so [...] the basic recipe for what are now the world-famous Luxemburgerli was created". 

Sources:
Wikipedia on Luxemburgerli
www.spruengli.ch



© 2011 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED