In the first part of the series “Culinary History,” we introduced the Sacher History and shared with you the original recipe of the Sacher Cake. One may wonder, why would Sacher share their original secret recipe with the public on their own website? Simply, because even one may have the original recipe, he might not have the mastery and skill level to produce it in that perfection as Sacher does. If you Google: “Sacher Cake Images”, you will understand what I mean, there are dozens of images that shows the bandwidth of pastry skills and its outcome.
Anyway, today we will dig deeper into a century-old rivalry between Sacher and Demel famous pastry shops and chocolateries about the claim of who owns the “original recipe” of the Sacher Cake. A really intriguing story and surprise: what does the Marcos family have to do with it?
The history of the Sacher Cake – a quick review for those who missed the first issue:
The Sacher Torte (in the German language) was created by pastry chef Franz Sacher (1816-1907) in 1832 for Prince Clemens Lothar Wenzel Metternich (1773-1859) of Austria, the Austrian State Chancellor. The prince enjoyed trying new dishes and ordered the chef to create a new cake. Orders were sent to the kitchens where it was instant pandemonium. The head chef was sick and the team of cooks in the kitchen had no idea what to prepare. Franz Sacher, a 16-year-old apprentice cook, rolled up his sleeves and created this famous chocolate cake with the ingredients that were available. The Sacher Torte and other recipes made him prosperous, and he operated several cafes and restaurants and finally the SACHER HOTEL in Vienna.
Later, his son Eduard Sacher worked at the famous bakery “K. & K. Hoflieferant DEMEL” as a pastry cook and allegedly passed the original recipe to Demel. What followed was a year’s long-lasting court case on the issue, of who owned the “original” recipe.
DEMEL HISTORY
Demel is one of the 3 most famous pastry- shops and Cafes in Vienna. The pastry shop was founded on Michaelerplatz by Ludwig Dehne, a confectioner from Württemberg/Germany. Upon his early death in 1799, the business was continued by his widow for their minor son August Dehne. In 1813 she purchased the house on Michaelerplatz 14. August Dehne inherited the company in 1832 and successfully managed the business, however, as his son pursued an academic career, he sold the company to his journeyman Christoph Demel in 1857.
Renamed Ch. Demel's Söhne in 1867, Christoph Demel's sons Joseph and Karl continued the business and were granted the title of a purveyor to the Habsburg court by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1874. When in 1888 the old Burg-Theater (Imperial Theater) on Michaelerplatz was demolished combined with a general refurbishment of the whole square, they moved the confectionery around the corner to Kohlmarkt, a stone's throw away from the Imperial Winter Palace “Hofburg” where the company is still located today in its original building. In the heyday of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, notable customers included famous and much-adored Empress Elisabeth (Sisi), Princess Pauline von Metternich, and actress Katharina Schratt, the platonic female friend of Emperor Franz Joseph. During the Austrian Anschluss to Nazi Germany 1938–45, the Vienna SS Chief Baldur von Schirach and his wife Henriette were regulars here.
