Who invented the original Mozartkugel? What was its original name? How long has this delicacy been around and what exactly does it consist of? Why was there a legal dispute over the Mozartkugel?
Almost 100 years had passed since Mozart’s death and this had to be honored. For this reason, master confectioner Paul Fürst in Brodgasse in Salzburg invented Mozart sweets in 1890 . He later called them Mozartkugeln and presented them at the Paris World Exhibition in 1905 , where he promptly won a gold medal . It is a sweet delicacy made of green pistachio marzipan, surrounded by nougat and wrapped in a chocolate coat. To make it spherical, they made it on a stick that they pulled out after cooling. The hole was sealed with chocolate. The original from Paul Fürst is still made by hand today and a certificate is included with the purchase. It can be recognized by the silver packaging with blue lettering. Only this is the original Mozartkugel, which costs around €1.50 per piece. Unfortunately, the brand was not protected and industrially produced copies from confectioners such as Holzermayr and Schatz soon followed. Thus, the descendants of Paul Fürst sought a legal dispute that ended with other producers having to use different names. The Mirabell company now calls them “Echte Salzburger Mozartkugeln” and the Bavarian supplier Reber calls its “Echte Reber Mozart-Kugeln”.15 employees of the original manufacturer Fürst produce around 3 million balls by hand every year, while the largest industrial manufacturer Mirabell produces around 90 million per year . You can taste the comparison between the manually and industrially produced ball. Mirabell is the only one allowed to produce a complete round sphere, while all other imitators are allowed to produce a slightly flattened sphere. In Vienna, the Hofbauer company produces its own variant with milk and dark chocolate. Victor Schmidt’s “Austria Mozartkugeln” are produced by the Manner company. The most common and can be found in all supermarkets is the Echte Salzburger Mozartkugel from Mirabell . For those who like the original, a visit to one of Fürst’s confectioneries in Salzburg or a purchase from the online store is definitely recommended. In addition to the Kugel, the Mirabell company invented the Mozarttaler in 1982, which enjoys great popularity due to the milk chocolate. The Mozarttafel has been in existence since 2002. Since 2011 Mirabell has been a sponsor of the Vienna Opera Ball and in 2012 a partnership with Mozarthaus Vienna follows. No visit to Salzburg is complete without trying an original Mozart kugel at the Fürst confectionery . The cheaper Echte Salzburger Mozartkugeln from Mirabell, which are available everywhere, are a great souvenir. Konditorei Für st remains true to its model of producing the original Mozartkugel as it did 130 years ago and selling it only in its own stores and not through other companies. Nothing should be lost in the exclusivity. Requests from Meinl am Graben are repeatedly turned down. Meinl am Graben , which is known for its luxury products , now produces its own Mozartkugeln in Vienna. Timetravel tip: There is a Mozartkugel workshop at Mozarthaus Wien, where you can make your own Mozartkugel. Photo credits: picture by Clemens PFEIFFER, A-1190 Vienna,AUSTRIAhttps://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Mozartkugeln-Fuerst.jpg
