Schmoo torte

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Schmoo torte
Schmoo Torte.png
Schmoo torte on a plate
Type Cake
Course Dessert
Place of origin Canada
Region or state Western Canada
Main ingredients Whipped cream, brown sugar, nuts

Schmoo torte is a Canadian dessert. Although it is relatively popular and well-known nationwide, [1] it is most famous in Western Canada, especially Manitoba. [2] [3] [4] It is a torte with layered whipped cream, brown sugar, and nuts, commonly made using angel food or sponge cake.

Contents

History

The schmoo torte was first invented in 1948 by a Winnipeg mother, Dora Zaslavsky, for her son Murray's Bar Mitzvah in Winnipeg, Manitoba. [3] [5] Zaslavsky was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who arrived to Canada in 1914. [5] She started introducing her recipes to Winnipeg via a catering business to support her family financially when her husband became ill. [5] Zaslavsky's catering business eventually expanded across North America. [5] Her schmoo torte became a favourite of singer Harry Belafonte. [5]

Murray's daughter Shannon Aceman stated in an interview that her grandmother's schmoo torte "was basically a mix of about three or four of her other best-known recipes for cakes with the rum torte." [5] Jewish food historian Kat Romanow told CTV News Winnipeg that schmoo is reminiscent of a central-European dessert called nusstorte. [5] Romanow told CTV News: "In many cases, the dishes that Ashkenazi Jews brought with them to Canada came to be iconic dishes of their new homes." [5]

How the schmoo got its name is unknown, however, some claim it comes from the name of the comic book creatures from Al Capp’s Li’l Abner.

See also

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References

  1. "Classic Caramel Pecan Schmoo Torte". The Busy Baker.
  2. "Iconic Foods of Manitoba - a celebration of Canadian food for Canada 150!". 22 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 "RECIPE - Shmoo Torte". www.lcbo.com.
  4. "Manitoba - World Travel Guide".
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dow, Katherine (May 3, 2022). "'The most delicious melange of flavours': Inside schmoo torte's quintessentially Winnipeg origin story". CTV News Winnipeg. Retrieved May 3, 2022.