Vínarterta

Vínarterta
Alternative namesRandalín
TypeCake
CourseDessert
Place of originIceland
Main ingredientsshortbread, prunes

Vínarterta (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈviːnarˌtʰɛr̥ta], "Vienna torte") or Randalín, is a dessert originating in 19th century Iceland, now popular among the descendants of Icelandic migrants to North America. Most vínarterta are multi-layered cakes made from alternating layers of almond and/or cardamom-flavoured biscuit or shortbread and dried prunes[1] or sometimes plum jam, the filling sometimes including spices such as cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, and cardamom.[2][3][4]

The cake is typically served in rectangular slices with coffee.[5] It is served during Christmas and celebration events such as weddings or funerals.[6][7]

Variations

Other fillings can be strawberry, rhubarb, or apricot.[8] Although apricot and rhubarb are less well known as fillings, they are traditional going back to the 19th century.[9]

Vínarterta can be iced with bourbon or vodka flavored sugar glaze, however some recipes strictly reject the use of liquor, sometimes as a result of strong first wave feminist and temperance sentiment amongst earlier generations of Icelandic women.[6][7]

History

The cake's history was the subject of a book chapter by historian L.K. Bertram who argues that Icelandic "Vienna torte" came to Iceland from Vienna through Denmark, likely arriving on the far northern island in a Danish cookbook or through a baker connected to Copenhagen sometime after 1793, but it's a debatable issue.[6] Icelandic bakers then revised the recipe to adapt to limited access to imported goods, resulting in a recipe that focused on dried plums, which were more cost effective and could withstand the long trip to Iceland. This recipe was brought to Manitoba by Icelandic immigrants to Canada, many of whom initially settled at New Iceland, but can be found throughout Icelandic settlements and households in North America, including the American midwest and the Pacific coast.[2][6]

The cake is now better-known in the Icelandic communities in Canada and the United States than it is in Iceland.[1][5][8][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Vínarterta". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b MacIntosh, Cameron (22 December 2016). "How Canadians are keeping this classic 'Icelandic' holiday cake alive". CBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  3. ^ Barber, Katherine (2007). Only in Canada, You Say: A Treasury of Canadian Language. Oxford University Press Canada. p. 128. ISBN 978-019542707-3.
  4. ^ Haubert, Judy (2 December 2014). "Northern lights". Saveur. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b Kwong, Matt (24 December 2012). "Don't ask Icelanders how to make their traditional Christmas cake". Maclean's. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d Bertram, Laurie K. (24 February 2020). The Viking Immigrants: Icelandic North Americans. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-1-4426-6301-5.
  7. ^ a b The Oxford Companion of Sugar and Sweets.
  8. ^ a b "Vínarterta | Traditional Cake From Iceland | TasteAtlas". www.tasteatlas.com. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  9. ^ Olafson-Jenkyns, Kristin (2002). The Culinary Saga of New Iceland: Recipes from the Shores of Lake Winnipeg. Guelph, Ontario: Coastline Publishing. pp. 181–182. ISBN 9780968911907.
  10. ^ Gillmor, Alison (24 November 2012). "Towering torte: However you slice it, vínarterta is cultural symbol and source of debate". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 22 September 2015.

Further reading

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