Filinchen
Filinchen is a thin waffle bread from Thuringia that was well known in the GDR . It is manufactured today by Gutena Nahrungsmittel GmbH in Apolda and is now available nationwide. It is not a crispbread , although some of today's varieties are crispbread-like products.
The waffle bread consists of elongated, golden yellow plates. It is brittle and breaks very easily, so it can only be coated with soft materials. Filinchen is typically eaten with sweet toppings such as honey, nut creams or jam, and occasionally with savory spreads or sausage. Filinchen counts as breakfast, break or summer bread.
History of the Filinchen
Filinchen go back to the master baker Oskar Kompa, who opened a small shop in Apolda in 1946. The waffle bread came about when he wanted to bake something very special for his childhood friend Felicitas (nickname "Filinchen"). These were the bread plates made from wheat dough with a waffle iron, which he named after her.
Industrial production began in the mid-1950s; the waffle bread quickly became very popular. Production took place according to the specifications of the five-year plan and could not meet consumer demand. The product was advertised despite the delivery problems resulting from the central administration economy. Back then, day-care centers were preferred, which is why Filinchen was viewed as a children's bread because of their mostly sweet toppings (honey or jams).
After the fall of the Berlin Wall , sales for Filinchen collapsed, but stabilized again in 1992 after one of the former food chemists bought the company. Today, Gutena also produces crispy cuts based on wholegrain or crispbread recipes, which can be used with a hearty topping to suit consumer tastes.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Heinemann: History of the confectionery industry in the GDR . IZS-Verlag, 2007, p. 136.