German stollen has stolen the hearts of Koreans this Christmas season

Food & Travel

Published: 15 Dec. 2022, 15:49 Updated: 16 Dec. 2022, 11:24

German stollen has stolen the hearts of Koreans this Christmas season

Loaves of stollen are on sale at The Baker's Table Seoul in Yongsan District, central Seoul [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Cakes have long had a monopoly over locals’ choice of Christmas desserts, but in recent years some Koreans have started trading in their flamboyant frosted sweets for a humble loaf of fruity German bread called stollen.

Traditionally eaten during the four Sundays of Advent, Germans eat a slice of stollen with family and friends as they await Christmas day.

The classic version is made only with dried fruit, but now there are other variations containing fruit peels, marzipan, poppy seeds or various nuts. The thick layer of powdered sugar coating the loaf is said to make it look reminiscent of baby Jesus in his swaddle.

Classic stollen sold at The Baker's Table in Yongsan District, central Seoul [THE BAKER'S TABLE]

Though stollen clearly falls under the bread category, its taste closely borders that of a fruitcake because of the rich sweetness that actually intensifies the longer that it is left sitting. It can be stored for about three weeks in a cool spot.

Stollen is most commonly served sliced, straight onto a plate. It can be slightly heated in the microwave for a more buttery flavor. Some prefer to eat it with jam or butter.

Kim Hye-jun, self-proclaimed bread-lover and author of “A Small Bakery is Delicious” (translated, 2013) says that it is best to cut stollen into thin pieces — about 0.5 centimeters to 1 centimeter, or 0.2 to 0.4 inches — to best enjoy the bread. “A lot of butter and fruits go into making the bread and the taste becomes richer as time passes. If you cut a piece too thick, too many tastes enter the mouth at once and you cannot enjoy the stollen to the fullest.”

“Stollen was always something very special to me growing up,” said German pastry chef Micha Richter. “Both my father and grandfather made them during the Christmas season. As a child, I remember that the booze-soaked raisins made stollens feel like a sort of an adventure, although, of course, the alcohol evaporates while baking it.”

Richter is the owner-chef of a German bakery The Baker’s Table, which has stores in Yongsan and Jongno District, both in central Seoul.

He recommended that people eat the bread with hot tea, hot chocolate or a cup of glühwein (the German word for mulled wine) in the evenings.

At The Baker’s Table, Richter uses the same stollen recipe that his father and grandfather used.

According to him, an authentic loaf of stollen requires heavy manual labor and expensive ingredients that need detailed tending.

“Marinating the fruits in rum isn’t a process to be rushed,” he said. “The temperature, the consistency of the dough and lastly, the quality of the ingredients — butter, candied fruits, raisins, rum, flour and spices — are critical factors as well that go into making the right stollen.

“I always send one stollen to my friend back in Germany who says its the best stollen in the world — I hope he is right!”

Stollen at Ours Blancs, a bakery in Yongsan District, central Seoul [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The number of ingredients and time that goes into making the bread make it quite a pricy treat.

The Baker’s Table stollen are 28,500 won ($22) per loaf, which are each about 22 centimeters (8.6 inches) long and weighs about 800 grams (1.8 pounds). It sells around 500 loaves each holiday season, until Dec. 25.

Though the price tag may seem excessive for a loaf of bread, these are on the cheaper side compared to other stollen at local bakeries.

Ours blancs, a bakery in Yongsan District, sells its stollen for 39,000 won, and one weighs about 600 to 700 grams, according to the shop's staff. Despite its high price, the bakery has no problem making sales. All of its stollen has been sold out for the season since November.

Ours blancs is famous for its marzipan nut stollens that contain candied fruits that have been marinated in cognac for one year.

Pistachio Marzipan Stollen at Chez Roll in Gyeonggi [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Chez Roll in Gyeonggi is another bakery famous for its pistachio marzipan and almond marzipan stollen. Both are priced at 32,000 won, and its stollens are said to sell out within minutes of opening.

Mealdo, a famous local bakery chain, has done its own riff on stollen with its Jeju Matcha Stollen for 36,000 won. A loaf weighs 350 grams.

“I think I was supposed to eat this throughout the next two or three weeks, but the loaf was so small that I finished it in just two days,” reads a comment on local grocery eCommerce platform Market Kurly. Mealdo’s stollen collectively have over 1,000 reviews on Market Kurly.

Jeju Matcha Stollen at Mealdo, a local bakery chain [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Recently, however, more accessible price options for stollen are entering the market.

Local cafe chains have released their own versions of the German bread at a lower cost than ones sold at specialty bakeries.

Paik’s Coffee is selling stollen for the first time, priced at 17,000 won for a loaf that weighs about 400 grams. A Twosome Place, which began selling stollen last year, offers two kinds, Classic Stollen and Coffee Stollen. Both cost 24,000 won and weigh 300 grams.

Paik's Coffee is selling its own stollen this Christmas season [PAIK'S COFFEE]

Stollen started to appear in local bakeries around 2010. It has since seen great popularity among Koreans, especially during the last six or so years as people have become more open to foreign foods.

“Over the years, I think people became more willing to try different foods and started to appreciate foreign dishes more,” said Richter. The Baker’s Table began selling stollen around nine years ago, and its popularity has consistently grown each year.

He continued, “It is nice to see people trying different things and enjoying them, but sometimes trends can be carried out in the wrong ways, especially when people begin to make these breads without the proper knowledge.”

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]