Mozartkugel

A Mozartkugel (German: [ˈmoːtsaʁtˌkuːɡl̩] ⓘ; English: "Mozart ball"; pl. Mozartkugeln) is a small, round sugar confection made of pistachio, marzipan, and nougat that is covered with dark chocolate. It was originally known as Mozart-Bonbon, created in 1890 by Salzburg confectioner Paul Fürst (1856–1941) and named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Handmade Original Salzburger Mozartkugeln are manufactured by Fürst's descendants up to today, while similar products have been developed by numerous confectioners, often industrially produced.

Mozartkugel
Fürst Original Mozartkugeln
Alternative namesMozart-Bonbon
TypeConfectionery
Place of originSalzburg, Austria
Main ingredientspistachio, marzipan, nougat, dark chocolate

Origins
Fürst pastry shop, Salzburg

Paul Fürst's family descended from Dinkelsbühl; he himself was born in Sierning, Upper Austria, and was raised in Salzburg. Upon the early death of his father, he lived in the house of his uncle, who owned a confectionery at No. 13, Brodgasse. Fürst took over his uncle's business and trained as an apprentice in Vienna, Budapest, Paris, and Nice. In 1884, he opened his own pastry shop at No. 13, Brodgasse, where he, by his own account, created the Mozart-Bonbon praline after lengthy trials in 1890. As his specialty became increasingly popular, Fürst established a company that continues to sell Mozartkugeln. However, he had not applied for a patent to protect his invention, and soon, other Salzburg cake shops began to sell similar products.

Recipe
Stages of Mozartkugel production

The original[1] recipe for Mozartkugeln is: A ball of marzipan combined with pistachio and covered in a layer of nougat is produced. This ball is then placed on a small wooden stick and coated in dark chocolate. The stick is then placed vertically, with the ball at the top, on a platform to allow the chocolate to cool off and harden. Finally, the stick is removed; the hole that it leaves behind is filled with chocolate coating, and the ball is wrapped in metal foil. The balls remain fresh for about eight weeks at room temperature.

Name dispute
Assorted Mozartkugeln

When imitation products began to appear, Fürst initiated a court process to attempt to secure a trademark. At first, the dispute concerned only confectionery producers in Salzburg, but later spread to include the competition from Germany. The result was an agreement that obliged Fürst's competitors to use other names. The Mirabell firm, based in Grödig near Salzburg, chose the name, "Real Salzburg Mozartkugeln". Bavarian producer Reber opted for "Real Reber Mozartkugeln". In 1996, a dispute between Fürst and a subsidiary of the Swiss food producer Nestlé, which wanted to market "Original Austria Mozartkugeln", was decided in the third instance. Only Fürst's products may be called "Original Salzburg Mozartkugeln".[2]

Dispute between Mirabell and Reber

At the end of the 1970s, another dispute arose between industrial confection producer Mirabell (today part of Mondelez International) and its competitor Reber over the Mozartkugel trademark. A provisional agreement was reached in 1981 between representatives of the Austrian and German governments, whereby only Austrian producers were to be allowed to use the label Mozartkugeln. Reber protested against this agreement, and the EC-Commissioner in Brussels charged with deciding in the affair finally declared the agreement invalid.[3] This is why Reber may legitimately and continuously use its "Genuine Reber Mozart-Kugeln" trademark, though with a hyphen in-between.

Nonetheless, only Mirabell Mozartkugeln are allowed to be round. Other industrially produced Mozartkugeln must have one flat side.[4] Besides Mirabell and Reber, Mozartkugeln manufacturers include Hofbauer, Vienna (part of Lindt & Sprüngli), and Manner, as well as Halloren in Germany.

Trivia

The Mozartkugel won the gold medal at a fair in Paris in 1905.[5]

In the winter of 2006, 80 oversized polyester Mozartkugeln, each with a diameter of 1.6 m (5.2 ft), were placed in the old town of Salzburg. They had been designed by artists. On the night of 27 March, vandals removed one of these Mozartkugeln from the Franziskanergasse, where it had been bolted to the ground. They then rolled it onto the street, causing damages of €7,000.[6]

References
  1. Mozartkugel - Die berühmteste Praline der Welt | Galileo Lunch Break, archived from the original on 2022-06-28, retrieved 2022-06-28
  2. Stock, Oliver (28 January 2006). "Mozartkugeln: echt oder original?". Handelsblatt (in German). Archived from the original on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. "Mozartkugel: Pralinenkrieg ums Original". www2.t-online-business.de. 25 January 2006. Archived from the original on 22 August 2007.
  4. Hacker, Herbert (29 December 2005). "Nur die Kugel rollt". www.zeit.de. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  5. "Original Salzburger Mozartkugel". www.original-mozartkugel.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  6. "derStandard.at". Archived from the original on 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
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