Tours and Activities:

Kuchen Tasting Session

The various tea and coffee houses pride themselves on having the most delicious desert baked by German hands for their customers. They just need to be tasted and judged.

Sweet tooth who do not wish to leave Frutillar before tasting the best delicacies made by local bakers must pay a visit to any of the several traditional tea houses where the star of the show is kuchen.

Ever since the first German immigrants arrived back in 1852, men have devoted themselves to carpentry, agriculture and cattle-raising to settle their houses and slowly organize the village where they would lodge their families. Women and children used to help with those tasks and also dedicate many hours to cooking. They made exquisite dishes following recipes brought from the old continent. Little by little, they got used to using the fruit and vegetables they found in the new land and adapted them to the notes made by their grandmothers in their homeland.

Thus, traditional German cake, pie and sauce recipes -as well as the famous once- have been passed on for generations and accompanied mothers and daughters till this day. Now it is time for us to enjoy them.

Kuchen, the Most Famous

When during social gatherings, each family prepared their own kuchen (pronounced /kuhen/ in German), the challenge consisted in surprising neighbors and friends with the best qualified one. This happened in Frutillar as well as in any of the villages resting on the shores of Lake Llanquihue.

That pie or cake is topped with fruit sauce, including murta, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, sauco, cherries and plum, and some nuts and hazelnuts. The secret resides in how to combine them in order to manage the perfect flavor.

Having all this information, we had no other choice than touring around the various tea-houses lying on the lanes of Frutillar in order to discover these delicacies. We were stunned by wonderful rooms with splendid tables where impeccably white embroidered table-cloths hosted china sets. We also visited other more informal tea-houses that were as cozy as the classy ones.

We followed the aromas for several afternoons into these tea-rooms full of tradition, kuchen and tasty strudel, chocolate cake and also coffee and hot chocolate.

The German Club Restaurant, Hotel Bauernhaus, Guten Apetit Coffee House, Kuchen Laden Bakery and Trayen Coffee House are the most popular spaces where German pastries are served with a typical accent.

We still had to hear the opinion of famed Alejandra Doepking, an international cuisine teacher and author of the book 150 Years of German Pastries. “Childhood memories that will last forever when my ona (Grandma) waited for us with yeast kuchen. The aroma of just baked cinnamon, vanilla and fruit makes me feel proud of my origin...”

How could we help being tempted by this delicacy that not only awaited our verdict but also let us discover a specialty that has remained through time and the vast sea, here in Frutillar? What is the secret of kuchen then? Being homemade, just like in the old days.

Contact

Café Bauernhaus

Av Philippi 779 esq. O´Higgins, (5620000) , Frutillar, X Región de los Lagos
Cel: +56 998222489

Trayén

Av. Philippi 963, (5620000) , Frutillar, X Región de los Lagos
Tel: +56 65-2421346

Lavanda Casa de Té

Km. 15 Cno. a Quebrada Honda, (5620000) , Frutillar, X Región de los Lagos
Cel: +56 992691684

See also: Hotels in Frutillar and other accommodation venues