''Bredele'' (also referred to as ''Bredala'', ''Bredle'' or ''Winachtsbredele'') are

biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be savoury, similar to crackers. ...

s or small

cakes Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabora ...

traditionally baked in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

and

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and parts of

Southern Germany Southern Germany (, ) is a region of Germany that includes the areas in which Upper German dialects are spoken, which includes the stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia in present-day Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and the southern portion of Hesse ...

, especially during the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

period. Many varieties can be found, including new ones, so that assortments can be created.Bredela at Ifood.tv
Accessed February 25, 2013 They can include ''anisbredela'' (cake with egg white and

aniseed Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, ...

) ''butterbredle'', ''schwowebredle'' (

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

and

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

), ''spritzbredle'', small ''

pain d'épices () or is a French cake or quick bread. Its ingredients, according to (1694), were " rye flour, honey and spices". In Alsace, a considerable tradition incorporates a pinch of cinnamon. Overview According to Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, the com ...

'' and spice cakes that are made with sugar rather than honey. Baking Bredeles at Christmas is popular in Alsace. The tradition is for each family to bake its own, and then offer them as a Christmas gift to neighbours. The word comes from

Low Alemannic German Low Alemannic German () is a branch of Alemannic German, which is part of Upper German. Its varieties are only partly intelligible to non-Alemannic speakers. Subdivisions *Lake Constance Alemannic (:de:Bodenseealemannisch, de) **Northern Vorarl ...

, where it means Christmas cookies.

References

Alsatian cuisine French desserts Biscuits Christmas food {{france-dessert-stub

See also

References