Salzburger Mozartkugeln

Whenever I travel I must admit to an obsession with local souvenirs. There is something wonderful about being back at home a month or six later and pulling out the Eiffel Tower shaped grater for the parmesan or wearing the silk scarf painted with Monet’s Water Lilies around town. There are a few must have souvenirs in Salzburg, but by far the most important is the Mozartkugel. Created by local confectioner Paul Fürst in 1890, you will find the small foil wrapped chocolate balls around every corner. Be careful though, if you want the real deal you will have to search out a Fürst Konditorei and go for an original kugel in the silver foil.

Made by hand, the Fürst kugel starts with a ball of green pistachio marzipan covered by a layer of hazelnut nougat. The ball is then placed on a small wooden stick and coated in dark chocolate. One hand dipped Fürst Mozartkugel will set you back a couple of Euro but well worth if for top notch confection.

If you decide the Mozartkugel will be your go to gift for Grandma and the dog sitter, a number of more cost effective imitation kugels have popped up over the years. Decades of trademark disputes assure that only Fürst can use the name “Original Salzburg Mozartkugel”. My favorite kugel knockoff is the machine made version by Mirabell.

The “Echte Sazlburger Mozartkugel” is the only imitation allowed to retain a ball shape (all others must have one flat side) and clearly a kugel should be ball shaped! Wrapped in gold foil with Mozart sporting a red jacket, you can buy the Mirabell chocolates in bulk at grocery stores and souvenir stands. When it comes to Mozartkugel, gold will be a bit more gentle on your wallet then silver. The chocolate is not quite as rich with the industrially manufactured treats, but the basic ingredients of pistachio, hazelnut and chocolate will surely delight any lucky recipient. Any way you wrap them, don’t leave Salzburg without a suitcase full of Mozartkugeln!