I live in a suburban area close to Munich (in German: München). Munich is one of the biggest cities in Germany, and it is the capital of Bavaria, the southernmost state of the country. It is a major technological and cultural hub that attracts a diverse range of people from around the world. Munich is also close to the border with Austria, the country south of Germany, where there are a group of mountains called the Austrian Alps. Today, I will tell you about one of the specialties of this region: the Kaiserschmarrn (pronounced kai-zuhsh-maan).
In German, Kaiser translates to “emperor” and Schmarrn is used to describe a “mess” or “mishmash”. Therefore, Kaiserschmarrn roughly means “Emperor’s mishmash.” Looking at the pictures, it is not hard to see why it would be called a mishmash! As for what it has to do with emperors, the story goes that this food was first prepared for the Austrian emperor Francis Joseph I, who lived from 1930-1916. Francis Joseph I loved to eat Kaiserschmarrn, so the name stuck.
Kaiserschmarrn is a light, caramelized pancake that sometimes has additional added ingredients like nuts, cherries, small pieces of apple or raisins. While being fried, the pancake is shredded into approximately square pieces and served hot with a sprinkling of powdered sugar on the top.
