Meißner Fummel

Appearance & taste

The Meißner Fummel is a long-life pastry the size and shape of a small loaf of bread. Inside it is hollow and filled with air; outside it has a very thin shell of dough that breaks easily. Every pack bears the lettering “Meißner Fummel g. g. A.”.

Production

Fat (about 100 g), sugar, flour and salt are mixed into a firm dough. Pieces of dough of 50 to 100 g are rolled out round and thin; one half is moistened with water or egg, the other is folded over it and the edge is pressed firmly together. Air is then blown in with a drinking straw, and the pastry is baked for three minutes at 240 °C. All production takes place in Meissen.

Origin & history

The area is limited to the town of Meissen. According to legend, the Fummel dates back to 1710; according to tradition, it was already baked in Meissen during the lifetime of the Elector Augustus the Strong (1670–1733). A Meissen pastry called “Fommel” is first mentioned in records in 1747; the bulletins of the Association for the History of the Town of Meissen from 1891 also suggest that it was already a speciality of the town at that time.

A brochure from 1956 tells the well-known story: a courier of the Elector who rode regularly between Dresden and Meissen was too fond of Meissen wine. Augustus the Strong therefore ordered the Meissen bakers’ guild to make an easily broken pastry, which the courier had to present intact after every visit to Meissen. According to the specification, the Fummel is known throughout Saxony as a Meissen speciality.