Kaiserschmarren

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Kaiserschmarren , also Kaiserschmarr’n or Kaiserschmarrn, is an Austrian food dish consisting of pancakes, usually with raisins, that are shredded after preparation and served with a various fruit compotes, including plum, strawberry and apple among others. It is usually sprinkled with powdered sugar. It can be eaten as a dessert, a light meal or breakfast.

The translation of Kaiserschmarren has generated some etymological debate. While “Kaiser” is literally translatable as Emperor, the same cannot be said for “Schmarren”. “Schmarren” has been translated as a trifle, a nonsense or fluff or even as a mild expletive. However, “Schmarren” in German is more accurately a concept and hence no single correct translation is possible.

It is generally agreed that the dish was first prepared for the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph I (1830 – 1916). The genesis of its name is not agreed. One story, likely apocryphal, involves the Emperor and his wife, Elisabeth of Bavaria, of the House of Wittelsbach. Obsessed with maintaining a minimal waistline, the Empress Elisabeth directed the royal chef to prepare only light desserts for her imperial palate, much to the consternation and annoyance of her notoriously austere husband. Upon being presented with the chef’s confection, she found it too rich and refused to eat it. The exasperated Francis Joseph quipped, “Now let me see what "Schmarr'n" (read: "trifle?") our chef has cooked up”. It met with his approval apparently as he finished his and his wife’s serving. Thereafter, the dessert was called Kaiserschmarren across the Empire.