Today is the last day before Lent: Mardi Gras, Martedí Grasso, Fastnachtsdienstag, Fat Tuesday. Whatever you call it, the key thing to know is it’s the final call — er, day — for most Berliners (“jelly doughnuts”) to be available here in Tübingen. Starting tomorrow there shouldn’t be many variations available in the bakeries, if any.

So it seems like I’d better take the chance get in a report on an odd Berliner we ran across late last month in both Tübingen and Hamburg. Called an Apfelberliner, “apple Berliner“, it was a very deep-fried dough, with bits of raisins and apples sprinkled throughout the dough. Both examples I bought (one each in the two different towns) were easily the greasiest versions of a Berliner I’ve ever had the misfortune to sample over the years. I couldn’t manage more than a bite before tossing it.  The one in Hamburg was a little more photogenic than the one in Tübingen, at least, so it gets featured on the blog:

Apfelberliner, Hamburg

You do see the face in that, right? 😉

Anyway, it was odd to be have something called a Berliner that wasn’t filled like a jelly doughnut. But then, perhaps I still haven’t made the right generalization about what makes a Berliner a Berliner – I had thought it was having a filling.

So starting tomorrow all types of Berliners, as well as other Carnival treats will  disappear from the bakeries around here. But if you happen to be in Hamburg after tomorrow, not to worry. Their main sweet dough confection is available year-round. Called a Franzbrötchen, “french roll”, it looks like a squashed croissant with cinnamon and sugar running through it:

Franzbrötchen, Hamburg

FWIW, we sampled these in Hamburg last month and discovered that while they are not as sweet as a Berliner,  they are often quite good. Even if they aren’t a doughnut. 😉