I could have told you about the kouglof, or the Linzertorte, which everyone loves, but here, near Sélestat, and more precisely, in two villages, Ebersmunster and Ebersheim, we prepare an amazing cake, first by its shape : the Mandelbari.
So “Mandel” comes from German and it means “almond”. “Bari” is from the Alsatian dialect and it means “mount” or “mountain”. So, Mandelbari is literally a mountain with almonds! It is a cake made of several rings of shortcrust pastry, covered with meringue and slivered almonds. The meringue spreads with a fork, otherwise it won’t hold! Each layer is baked and baked separately. After cooking, we assemble everything to form a kind of pyramid.
There are some 3 different sizes. The largest cake measures about 40 centimeters, and it is mainly made for Christmas parties. Each cake can be kept for 3 months, but in general, it is devoured before…
At the origin of the Mandelbari, there is a certain Barbara Angst who is governess and chambermaid in a wealthy Ebersmunster family, the Lixes. She also works at the Kircher family mill in Ebersheim, a neighboring town. During the holidays, Barbara goes regularly to Austria, to take care of the children of the family and the kitchen. And it is in this country thatshe discovers an incredible pastry know-how. She draws inspiration from several local recipes, to perfect, once back, her famous Mandelbari… Generous, she shares her recipe, whose reputation goes beyond the walls of the houses where she works. At Moulin Kircher, although Barbara disappeared a very long time ago, the tradition is carried on, and you can get this delicacy all year round!
On the Markstein side, we eat Bibeleskas! Literally it means chick cheese ! Probably because, mixed with oats and bran, it was used to feed the chicks. With its slightly tangy taste and grainy textureit was one of those dairy products considered of inferior quality, compared to munster, reserved for the rich.
To consume it, we mash it with a fork and mix it with fresh cream, minced onions, shallots, garlic or chives. Accompanied by potatoes, it is the rustic dinner adored by tourists, and which should also please runners if they allow themselves a deviation from their sports diet this evening!