Type | Cake |
---|---|
Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | Canada |
Region or state | Western Canada |
Main ingredients | Whipped cream, brown sugar, nuts |
Part of a series on |
Canadian cuisine |
---|
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.
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.
Type | Cake |
---|---|
Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | Canada |
Region or state | Western Canada |
Main ingredients | Whipped cream, brown sugar, nuts |
Part of a series on |
Canadian cuisine |
---|
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.
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.