The story
The Linzer torte is named after Linz, the Upper Austrian city on the Danube, and is often called the oldest cake named after a place. Its inventor is unknown. For years the oldest known recipe was one from 1696 in Vienna, until in 2005 the librarian Waltraud Faißner found a 1653 recipe in the archive of Admont Abbey. Legends credit a Viennese confectioner called Linzer, while the Franconian baker Johann Konrad Vogel began producing the cake in quantity in Linz around 1823, spreading its fame. A crumbly crust of ground nuts, butter and cinnamon with a lattice over redcurrant jam, it became a Christmas favourite across Central Europe.
Rival claims
Its inventor is unknown; legends credit a Viennese confectioner, and the oldest recipe (1653) turned up in an abbey archive, but the cake is named for and identified with this city.
Also known as Linzertorte, Linzer tart.
On the Meridish menu
Linzer torte was the dessert course on menu No. 29 on October 29, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A crumbly nut crust under a lattice of redcurrant jam, often called the oldest cake named after a place. Its city sits on the Danube, upriver from the capital.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
