Strudel

Strudel was recognized as an official state pastry of Texas between 2003 and 2005 (along with sopaipilla, a native pastry). Strudel is one of many 'Danish' pastries Americans love. 'Strudel' is a German word, but the origins of this pastry actually go back to the Greeks, who first perfected the technique of making thin dough for Baklava.

Traditional strudel dough can be stretched paper-thin over a large, flour-dusted table without tearing. It's said the art of making strudel dough takes decades to perfect - professional pastry makers are often over 70 years old and learned the craft from their mothers and fathers. Modern recipes usually call for easilly purchased Phyllo dough (which is Greek).

German Towns in Texas

Towns with names like Fredricksburg, New Braunfels, Bergheim and Boerne reveal the German influence on the early settlement of the Texas Hill country.

In the mid 1800's social and political conditions became intolerable in some areas of Germany, and fearing persecution in their homeland, about 10,000 German families immigrated to the hill country of Texas. German artists, writers, poets, university professors and scholars came to Texas and became farmers, ranchers and cowboys.

Fredricksburg is the largest of the German towns in Texas and it retains much of its old German heritage and culture. The residents hold Sangerfests, Shützenfests, Weinfests, Kinderfests and a traditional Octoberfest every year. They also hold rodeos, barbecues and an Indian powwow.

The small community of Danevang is known as The Danish Capital of Texas. Here, presumably, you will find the best Texas German strudel.

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Texas has customarily recognized a variety of official state symbols as tangible representations of the state's historical and cultural heritage; and

WHEREAS, Among such icons are the rodeo, the state sport; the guitar, the state musical instrument; and chili, the state dish; and

WHEREAS, In keeping with this custom, the designation of the sopaipilla and strudel as the official State Pastries of Texas shall provide suitable recognition for these historic symbols of the state's cultural heritage, for  the sopaipilla and strudel are some of the earliest pastries known to have been made in Texas; and

WHEREAS, The primary ingredient of the sopaipilla and strudel is wheat flour, the use of which in Texas can be traced as far back as 1682 in Ysleta, the oldest continuously occupied community in the state; located in present-day El Paso County, Ysleta is the site of a mission established by Franciscan friars and Tigua Pueblo Indians; the Tigua planted, harvested, and ground wheat for use in meals that they prepared for the friars, and by the 1730s they were cultivating wheat for themselves; and

WHEREAS, Like the grain from which it is made, the wheat flour tortilla, too, can be traced to the El Paso area; it was produced there several hundred years ago by the Tigua, using lard from domesticated pigs, yet another item introduced in Texas by the Spaniards; the Tigua, who originally helped to raise pigs for the friars, had adopted the animals as a source for their own meals as early as the second quarter of the 18th  century; and

WHEREAS, Generally made from a flour dough recipe, the sopaipilla was deep-fried in lard in earlier times and today is fried in healthier oils; it has been known by the Tigua of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo as "Indian fry bread" for well over a hundred years and is enjoyed by them on a variety of occasions; and

WHEREAS, Widely known throughout the great State of Texas and across the nation, the sopaipilla and strudel are served in restaurants and cooked at home, both from family recipes and from store-bought mixes; the sopaipilla may be topped with honey, cinnamon, or powdered sugar and may even be stuffed with beans, meat, or ice cream; and

WHEREAS, The sopaipilla and strudel stand out among Texas pastries because of their historic origins and universal appeal; embraced today by Texans of every ethnic background, the sopaipilla and strudel constitute a much-savored part of Texans' shared cultural identity; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate the sopaipilla and the strudel as the official State Pastries of Texas until January 31, 2005.