Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – They are often handmade according to the company’s own family recipes, high-quality ingredients are part of it: The time for Christmas stollen has begun with the artisan bakers in Saxony-Anhalt. At the public stollen tests of the state guild association of the bakery trade, the bakers and their products are subject to the judgment of experts. On Monday there were poppy seed, butter and cranberry stollen in Magdeburg, on Wednesday there will be another test in Halle.
According to the information, this year 17 companies will present a total of 49 stollen to an expert from the German Bread Institute for professional evaluation. Taste, smell and texture are assessed. The bakers are hoping for the grades “Very Good” and “Gold Medal”.
Stollen is a tradition for bakers, but it also has to pay off. According to the guild association, the companies are currently looking to the future with great concern. “A significant increase in wage costs, an increase in raw material costs of between 50 and 100 percent and an increase in energy costs by a factor of 3 to 4 are factors that cannot be ignored for the existence of regional companies.” An end to this development is not in sight. Effects on sales prices are inevitable.
The stollen has its origins in what is now Saxony-Anhalt, as the bakers reported. “The first documented mention was in 1329 in Naumburg an der Saale as a Christmas gift for the bishop. What used to be a very lean baked goods for Advent fasting has become a traditional product cultivated in many regions.”