The Hungarian KürtÅ‘skalács, or also known as Baumstriezel in German and as Trdelník in Czech, is a delicious rolled pastry originating from Transylvania that had become a tradition in Hungary for years to come.
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KürtÅ‘skalács is made from sweet, yeast dough (raised dough), of which a long strip is rolled and then wrapped around a truncated cone–shaped baking spit or a wooden dowel and rolled in sugar. It is baked over charcoal while basted with melted butter or oil, until baked to a golden-brown color. During the baking process the sugar stuck on the KürtÅ‘skalács caramelizes and forms a crisp, shiny crust. The surface of the cake can then be topped with a variety of flavours such as ground walnut, powdered cinnamon, coconut and more.
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The current, most frequently baked variant of KürtÅ‘skalács evolved in Szeklerland in the first half of the 20th century. It is specific to this variant that the surface of the raw dough wrapped around the spit flattens out by the usual procedure of rolling it on a flat surface sprinkled with granulated sugar. By this process the layers of dough wrapped around the spit are pressed together, rendering the cake smoother, more compact in structure and more elegant. ​
By the end of the 18th century, kürtÅ‘skalács had become popular in all Hungarian speaking regions as a defining element of both urban and rustic cuisine.
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This gastronomic tradition, which earlier had been preserved merely in rural Szekler communities, gradually found its way back to mainstream culture, mainly due to tourism. By the middle of the 1990s, kürtÅ‘skalács became popular in most cities in Hungary, and tourists visiting Hungary reported on "the gorgeous, sweet, tubular treat" with admiration. Due to its initial increase and later surge in popularity, initially in the Hungarian speaking community and later in the wide Transylvanian community mainly through tourism, the kürtÅ‘skalács is no longer regarded as a solely Szekler or Hungarian symbol, but rather as representative element in European gastronomy, as part of the greater family of chimney cakes, manufacturers of this sweet treat being present Europe-wide.