The Spekulatius Cookie Hussar

[awdaniec666]

The Spekulatius cookie has been an integral part of christmas pastries in central Europe since the middle ages. I recently acquired a beautiful mold for such cookies which appears to be very old judging by material and style. That depiction of an armed rider on this pastry seems to have tradition in certain areas but I didn´t find anything certain. Nevertheless I know my stuff about sabers but when it comes to uniforms I´m out.

From which region and era can this hussar probably be? My best guess is Austro-Hungary or Poland-Lithuania in the 1st half of the 18th century. Any ideas welcome - maybe someone recognizes certain details which are specific for some known person or a regiment.

[fernando]

A nice thread for the Miscellania Forum .

[Victrix]

That looks like a great mold and certainly seasonal! The uniform looks very 18thC and the 7 year war springs to mind. The sabre guard looks slightly Polish but may just be an artist interpretation. Noteworthy is the wig, the amount of decoration on the uniform, and what appears to be a fokos axe tucked into the boot. The latter suggest Hungarian-Croatian nationality but the item could also be a pipe (?) which could suggest that the hussar might also be Prussian? I googled Spekulatius and found the below:

[Teisani]

I would say the fokos indicates more Carpathian. So Slovakian or Transylvanian.

[Victrix]

Originally Posted by Teisani

I would say the fokos indicates more Carpathian. So Slovakian or Transylvanian.

As long as they wore wigs there in 18thC. I think further East it was common to wear a plaited tail hanging down in front of each ear and one tail in the back? Or maybe that was just the privates troopers whilst the officers wore wigs?

[awdaniec666]

Thanks for your replies. The item in questions is a pipe, not an axe (/fokos) - I wonder, are pipes pathognomonic for Prussians?

The wig in question could also be curly hair to me...

As for the Speculatius: Don´t believe everything on the internet word for word, this pastry is known, made and eaten in the entirety of Germany, not just Westphalia. It´s also known in Poland and the Czech R. for example.

[awdaniec666]

Thanks for replying Victrix.

Originally Posted by Victrix

but the item could also be a pipe (?) which could suggest that the hussar might also be Prussian

I wondered if that is the case - but I doubt it to be honest.

Originally Posted by Victrix

Austro-Hungarian hussars were the most renowned in 18thC, when they were copied by the admiring Prussians.

In fact the Prussians and French did not copy them in the beginning but "imported" Hungarian hussars to begin with. With those Hungarians came the first hussar sabers into those countries which were then copied, as f.e. the Prussian Model 1742 which was then copied by Sweden as M1757 and the UK as the Model 1788. The hussar depicted here has a saber with a guard resembling other than beforementioned sabers - namely Polish sabers. I wonder if that´s a purposely detail.

[awdaniec666]

The edit option should stay available for a little longer...
The skull has been first used by the prussian hussar regiment nr. 8 (belling) in 1758.

[cel7]

Here in the Netherlands we have a long tradition of speculaas. Traditionally the image was carved in wood. I've never seen them in stone.

[gp]

Originally Posted by awdaniec666

The edit option should stay available for a little longer...
The skull has been first used by the prussian hussar regiment nr. 8 (belling) in 1758.

some more info:

https://www.kaisersbunker.com/pt/pelzmutze.htm

and 2 more pics

[gp]

Originally Posted by awdaniec666

The Spekulatius cookie has been an integral part of christmas pastries in central Europe since the middle ages..

where these cookies were originally , traditionally made & sold around Sinterklaas ( Santa Claus) in Belgium and the Netherlands around the good saint's birthday , i.e. 5th December, they are nowadays available all year.

The same for the delious Aachener Print....

Another tradition in this region ( Father's day ) approaching , June 16th, I stumbled upon a nice gift / piece of sweets to be given to all sweet tooth daddies as a present by their kids.
But....not from the Holland, Belgium or the North Rhine Westphalia erea, but Sweet Home Alabam !


Yes indeed, Cherri Jones, a Southern Belle sells in her Southern Tea Cake Shop in Alabama ( the good ol' U S of A ) this Husar either as gingerbread or a spekulatius cookie since 2019!

How traditions stay alive and wander over the world ( perhaps an immigrant or a Southerner stumbling upon the recipe and finding a market in the South, who knows...☺☼☺)

Maybe a good excuse for uncle Jim from route 66 to get (new) kicks at route 65 ☺☻☺
perhaps on a Milwaukee Steel Horse singin' "roll me away" by Bob Seeger....
to Sweet home, Alabama
Where the skies are so blue... (courtesy of Lynyrd Skynyrd)