Zelten, a sweet bread made from dried fruit, is a telltale sign of Christmas in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige. Derived from the German word "selten" which means "sometimes," zelten originated as a winter cake. While dried fruit is now available year-round now, it used to only be accessible during winter.
Quintessential "mountain cuisine," zelten is prepared with accessible and preservable ingredients. Although the recipe changes slightly from valley to valley and family to family, the dough always contains flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and yeast, with the addition of dried fruit, mainly raisins, dried figs, almonds, pine nuts, and walnuts.
