rumtopf

{{Short description|Canned fruits and berries in rum}}

{{Infobox prepared food

| name = Rumtopf

| name_lang = de

| name_italics = true

| image = Rumtopf.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption =

| alternate_name =

| country = Austria, Germany and Denmark

| region =

| creator =

| course = Dessert

| type =

| served =

| main_ingredient = Fruit, rum, sugar

| variations =

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}}

Rumtopf ({{langx|da|Romkrukke}}), which literally means rum pot, is an Austrian, German and Danish dessert of mixed fruit and alcohol traditionally eaten around Christmas.{{cite news|title=Spiking Summer Fruit in Order to Preserve It|first=Melissa|last=Clark|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 21, 2010|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/dining/22appe.html|accessdate=September 22, 2010}}{{cite web |title=Rumtopf – A Spring to Yuletime Tradition |url=https://beekman1802.com/rumtopf-a-spring-to-yuletime-tradition/ |website=beekman1802.com |accessdate=30 January 2019}} It is also made in northern Italy, especially in the valleys of Trentino, where it became traditional in Valsugana.{{cite news|title=Rumtopf, tradizione Valsugana Frutta immersa nel rum|url=http://www.ladige.it/territori/valsugana-primiero/2019/01/05/rumtopf-tradizione-valsugana-frutta-immersa-rum|access-date=January 5, 2019}}

A mixture of various kinds of fruit, high-strength rum (commonly Austrian Stroh) and sugar is filled into a large stoneware pot (the eponymous rum pot). The pots themselves are often made specifically for the creation of rumtopf and can be quite elaborate in their decoration. The mixture is then matured for several months until the fruit is very soft and completely saturated with rum. Suitable fruit includes berries, cherries, plums and apricots. Not all fruits are appropriate for Rumtopf, and the overproof rum should be of only 100–110 proof (50–55% alcohol by volume), which is not commonly available at retail in all regions, but can be prepared by blending commercially available 151 or 160 proof rums with more common 80 proof brands.{{cite web

| title = Rumtopf (rum pot) Recipe

| publisher = GermanDeli.com

| url = http://www.germandeli.com/Information/Recipe-for-Rumtopf/

| accessdate = February 23, 2014}}{{cite web

| last = McGavin

| first = Jennifer

| title = How and When to Make Rumtopf Fruit

| publisher = About.com German Food

| url = http://germanfood.about.com/od/desserts/r/Rumtopf-Recipe.htm

| accessdate = February 23, 2014}}{{cite web

| title = Rum Pot or Rumtopf

| publisher = My Best German Recipes

| url = http://mybestgermanrecipes.com/rum-pot-or-rumtopf/

| accessdate = February 23, 2014}}

Traditionally, the pot is set up in a cool and dark place in spring, and different kinds of ripe fruit are added to it over the months as they come into season. Different fruits are typically added at different times.{{cite web |title=How to Make Rumtopf |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-and-when-to-make-rumtopf-fruit-1446792 |website=thespruceeats.com |accessdate=30 January 2019}} The end product is fully preserved to be eaten in winter, after the Rumtopf has matured.

Rumtopf is traditionally eaten as a compote and served as a topping on poundcake, waffles, and Bratapfel (baked apples), and is also served over ice cream.{{cite web |title=Rumtopf (The famous German "rum pot") |url=https://www.germanfoodnotes.com/2013/06/rumtopf-famous-german-rum-pot.html |website=germanfoodnotes.com |accessdate=30 January 2019}} Once immensely popular to be made at home, Rumtopf had somewhat fallen out of fashion by the 21st century because of the time and commitment needed to make the dessert.{{cite book|author=Nadia Hassani|title=Spoonfuls of Germany: Culinary Delights of the German Regions in 170 Recipes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=93hWz3yOoj0C&pg=PA60|accessdate=August 26, 2013|year=2004|publisher=Hippocrene Books|isbn=978-0-7818-1057-9|pages=60–}} Rumtopf is one of the dishes the German television cook Clemens Wilmenrod helped to popularize .{{cite news|title=The Tragic Career of Clemens Wilmenrod|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=16 May 2008|access-date=May 21, 2017|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-tragic-career-of-clemens-wilmenrod-remembering-germany-s-first-television-chef-a-553758.html|last1=Festenberg|first1=Nikolaus von}}