Word of the Day

: November 21, 2011

strudel

noun STROO-dul

What It Means

: a pastry made from a thin sheet of dough rolled up with filling and baked

strudel in Context

Strudels are usually made with high-gluten flour to increase the malleability of the dough.

"The Supremes belted out a song on the radio, their voices as smooth and flawless as the ribbon of cream Kirsten poured from the pitcher onto her father's strudel, and the whole house smelled cheerfully of pork and spiced apples, laced with a note of butter. -- From Rebecca Coleman’s 2011 novel The Kingdom of Childhood

Did You Know?

The word "strudel" first appeared in English in the late 19th century, but the confection the word refers to is likely much older. The strudel is Austrian in origin, and its name comes from the German word "Strudel," meaning "whirlpool" -- which the pastry resembles when cut to reveal its thin sheet of dough rolled around the filling. Strudels can be sweet or savory, but the sweet apple strudel is the most famous.