Mässmogge
Encyclopedia
Mässmogge are thumb-sized, hazelnut
praline
-filled sugar candies. They are a regional and seasonal specialty of Basel
, Switzerland, where they are made and sold at around the time of the autumn fair.
, the local dialect. "Mäss-" refers to the Messe, the fair
at which the candy is sold, while "Mogge" is derived from the Middle High German
word Mocken, meaning "big piece" or "lump".
mass at the center, which has a more pronounced flavor than the shell.
A variant, the Glasmogge ("lump of glass") has no hazelnut filling. It consists only of a piece of sugar candy, which is normally green and peppermint-flavored.
As of 2008, about one million Mässmogge are produced annually, of which 70% are the hazelnut-filled variant. Half of the production is sold to market traders visiting fairs across Switzerland, although most Mässmogge are sold at the Basel autumn fair. The other half is produced for retail and specialty stores mostly in and around Basel and Solothurn
.
and water, is warmed to 134 degrees celsius, agitated in order to become airy and white, colored and folded into a striped, layered paste. The filling, consisting of roasted and ground hazelnuts with some fat and sugar, is then spread over the candy mass. The paste is wrapped into a 50 kilograms (110 lb) roll, which is drawn out by a machine to a length of about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi), and separated into the individual Mässmogge. The whole process must take no more than 25 minutes, in order to keep the candy mass warm and malleable.
s were first introduced by French confectioners at Basel fairs in the 1860s, and sold in the form of thick candy lumps since about 1879. The confectioner Leonz Goldinger invented the current Mässmogge, with a hazelnut filling, at around 1900. At that time, the candies were produced directly at the fair and sold while still warm.
Up until the 1960s, several confectioners produced Mässmogge for the Basel fairs. Because of the expense of producing the candy, the number of manufacturers has since dwindled to one, Sweet Basel AG.
Hazelnut
A hazelnut is the nut of the hazel and is also known as a cob nut or filbert nut according to species. A cob is roughly spherical to oval, about 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm in diameter, with an outer fibrous husk surrounding a smooth shell. A filbert is more elongated, being about twice...
praline
Praline
Praline is a family of confections made from nuts and sugar syrup.-Europe:As originally inspired in France at the Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte by the cook of the 17th-century sugar industrialist Marshal du Plessis-Praslin , early pralines were whole almonds individually coated in caramelized sugar,...
-filled sugar candies. They are a regional and seasonal specialty of Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland, where they are made and sold at around the time of the autumn fair.
Name
"Mässmogge" and its spelling variants "Mässmögge", "Mässmocke" or "Messmocken" are words in Basel GermanBasel German
Basel German or Baseldytsch is the dialect of the city of Basel, Switzerland. Among the Swiss German dialects, it is the only Low Alemannic one.- Aspirated plosives :...
, the local dialect. "Mäss-" refers to the Messe, the fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
at which the candy is sold, while "Mogge" is derived from the Middle High German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
word Mocken, meaning "big piece" or "lump".
Description and economic significance
Mässmogge are about 5.5 centimetres (2 in) long, 2 centimetre (0.78740157480315 in) wide and weigh about 14 gram (0.493835469471567 oz). They consist of a striped, colored, rather soft sugar candy shell in various flavors (chocolate, lemon, strawberry, etc., corresponding to the shell's color), and of a soft hazelnut pralinePraline
Praline is a family of confections made from nuts and sugar syrup.-Europe:As originally inspired in France at the Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte by the cook of the 17th-century sugar industrialist Marshal du Plessis-Praslin , early pralines were whole almonds individually coated in caramelized sugar,...
mass at the center, which has a more pronounced flavor than the shell.
A variant, the Glasmogge ("lump of glass") has no hazelnut filling. It consists only of a piece of sugar candy, which is normally green and peppermint-flavored.
As of 2008, about one million Mässmogge are produced annually, of which 70% are the hazelnut-filled variant. Half of the production is sold to market traders visiting fairs across Switzerland, although most Mässmogge are sold at the Basel autumn fair. The other half is produced for retail and specialty stores mostly in and around Basel and Solothurn
Solothurn
The city of Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. The city also comprises the only municipality of the district of the same name.-Pre-roman settlement:...
.
Production
Mässmogge are produced largely by hand in a complicated process. The candy mass, made of sugar, glucoseGlucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
and water, is warmed to 134 degrees celsius, agitated in order to become airy and white, colored and folded into a striped, layered paste. The filling, consisting of roasted and ground hazelnuts with some fat and sugar, is then spread over the candy mass. The paste is wrapped into a 50 kilograms (110 lb) roll, which is drawn out by a machine to a length of about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi), and separated into the individual Mässmogge. The whole process must take no more than 25 minutes, in order to keep the candy mass warm and malleable.
History
Candy caneCandy cane
A candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint or cinnamon; however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and may be decorated with stripes of different colors and thicknesses...
s were first introduced by French confectioners at Basel fairs in the 1860s, and sold in the form of thick candy lumps since about 1879. The confectioner Leonz Goldinger invented the current Mässmogge, with a hazelnut filling, at around 1900. At that time, the candies were produced directly at the fair and sold while still warm.
Up until the 1960s, several confectioners produced Mässmogge for the Basel fairs. Because of the expense of producing the candy, the number of manufacturers has since dwindled to one, Sweet Basel AG.
External links
- Sweet Basel AG, the sole current manufacturer of Mässmogge