Strudel is an English loanword from German. The word derives from the German word Strudel, which in Middle High German literally means "whirlpool" or "eddy".
A strudel is a type of layered pastry with a filling that is usually sweet, but savoury fillings are also common.
It became popular in the 18th century throughout the Habsburg Empire. Strudel is part of Austrian cuisine and German cuisine but is also common in other Central European cuisines. In Italy it is recognized as a traditional agri-food product (PAT) of South Tyrol.
The oldest strudel recipes (a Millirahmstrudel and a turnip strudel) are from 1696, in a handwritten cookbook at the Wienbibliothek im Rathaus (formerly Wiener Stadtbibliothek). The pastry is likely descended from similar pastries such as börek and baklava.
In Hebrew colloquial speech, the symbol @ in email addresses is called "shtrudel," in reference to the spiral form of strudel. The official Hebrew word for the @ symbol also takes its name from strudel: "keruchith," which refers to the @ symbol, is the Hebrew word for the strudel pastry (as opposed to the German loan word used in colloquial speech).
The making of a traditional Viennese strudel is complex. The chosen filling is spread intermittently between layers of the finest unleavened dough, making for the characteristic swirling pattern of pasty and filling when cut. No wonder strudel derives from the Middle High German word meaning ‘whirlpool’.
With many different varieties, both savoury and sweet, arguably the most well-known is that of the Apple variety – Apfelstrudel. It is often accompanied by tea, coffee or even champagne and toppings of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or are all popular.