How to Hasselback (Almost) Everything
It’s a cooking technique you’ll fall in love with
Hasselback is not a pro quarterback (that’s Hasselbeck). It’s a cooking technique — slicing almost all the way through foods, creating thin layers that are then stuffed and baked. Let’s learn how it started and fun ways to use this technique in your kitchen.
The Origin of the Hasselback Technique
Once upon a time, there was a tavern. Actually, it was hardly more than a hut — a hut with a red roof, five tables, and 20 chairs. But the beer served at that hut was good, and in the mid-1700s, five tables and 20 chairs, and a red roof were enough. Dunderhyttan, as it was named, sat on a steep slope in the midst of a hazelnut thicket. (That small piece of information will be important later on, so I hope you’re taking notes.)
In 1816, the land was purchased to become the summer home for a wealthy merchant. The little red-roof hut was replaced by a much larger half-timbered building. In 1852 the property again changed hands; pastry chef Jacob Wilhelm Davidson had the vision to open a restaurant in this picturesque spot.
Now, look back at your notes. The Swedish word for the hazelnut thicket is “hassel,” and that steep slope is (of course) a “backen.” In 1853 the doors of…
