What will be the party of the Volga Germans who promise a 66 meter strudel

More and more people come to the popular festivals organized by the tourist towns in the province of Buenos Aires. And with their traditions, their particular seal and their colorful display, the communities attract visitors and highlight the typical flavors, dances, shows and regional products.

This is the case of the next edition of the Strudel Festivalwhich will take place from Friday, March 1 to Sunday, March 3.

This is the ninth edition of this celebration that will take place in Santa María, Coronel Suárez district, which was declared a Tourist Town by the Government of the Province of Buenos Aires.

On this occasion, not only will the traditional German apple pie be prepared again, but a giant strudel will be made, the length of which promises to exceed 66 meters this year.

From the organization, it is highlighted that it is a collective ritualin which the entire town participates and, at the same time, a traditional activity.

Like every year, the objective of the event is “to make the people visible and revalue ancestral traditions by the Volga German descendants, settled there since its beginnings”.

The special flavor of this delicacy, which is already a classic in the Province, results from the cooking of the strudel in the Volga Backhouffen clay ovens, which are part of the gastronomic cultural legacy.

“Strudel baked in a typical Volga oven has a taste and texture that takes you back to the past,” said Giuliana Urban, one of the organizers and member of the Santa María Community Tourism Association.

“The temperature of the oven is soft and homogeneous, unlike an industrial oven, so its color, textures, aromas and flavors are unique”he added.

After leaving the oven, it is assembled in channels specially made by Zinguería Varela, which allow the strudel to be divided by meter. “The design and idea of ​​the gutters was by Javier Graff, a renowned gastronomic entrepreneur from Santa María and one of the promoters of making a giant strudel that year after year exceeds meters in length,” he explained.

“At the first party,” he said, “which was in 2016, a 15-meter strudel was made. But this year the idea is to exceed the 66 meters and 31 centimeters of the previous edition.”

As he clarified, “the recipe is always the same, the original one that we use. What varies are the quantities of the ingredients, clearly, because the dimensions, year after year, increase.”

And so that no one is left without trying this delight, also They make a special variant for people with celiac disease.

The preparation is the most exciting moment of the party. It begins in the morning when a group of more than 70 volunteers register to participate. On this occasion, the quota was sold out in record time: less than 24 hours. “They are from the community, from the region, from other parts of the country and this year we have the particularity of receiving tourists who visit us from Uruguay and signed up for the preparation,” he explained.

Four cooks from the town are in charge of coordination: Rodrigo Lambrecht, Francisco Ciganda, Leonor Giupponi and Delfines Berger.

In addition, there are between 10 to 15 assistants in charge of moving the apples, since several wheelbarrows are needed to carry the peels, the jugs with the cream and the sugar pots.

“Almost 100 people work together and manage to join 70 meters of dough. It is exciting for all of us who really love the party: it is exciting, because the giant strudel is our star and crown, which is also the objective of the Strudel Fest: the joint teamwork of an entire community so that everything goes well,” he said. Urban.

In this edition There will be more typical German foods combined with beer flavorsas well as a craft walk, guided tours, traditional music and dance.

“The party is part of my life! “We give everything to make it a success!” said Urban.