Prior to the summer break, and in the wake of my previous post about the Schwedenbombe, I wanted to do a short series of posts (two, maybe three) about particular Viennese sweet snacks. The first of these is the Neapolitanerschnitte or Neapolitan wafer: five layers of wafer biscuit cross-hatched with a diamond pattern containing four layers of hazelnut creme, sold in squares wrapped up in Manner's iconic and instantly recognisable pink foil packaging stamped with its blue logo. The resulting product is a crisp, crumbly, and somewhat messy treat -- not necessarily as messy to eat as it is to open and break apart -- whose texture reads as simultaneously smooth and somehow slightly grainy, though whether that comes from the ground hazelnuts or simply sugar crystals within the creme, I cannot say.
The story of the Manner Neapolitanerschnitte begins in 1898, the first time the bar appears in the firm's catalogue of sweets, listed as "Neapolitaner Schnitte No. 239." The specifics of the Schnitte were set down in that year: that the bar should contain five layers of wafer and four of filling; that the filling should be made from hazelnuts; and, that each segment of the square (there are 10 in total) should measure 4.9 x 1.7 x 1.7 cm. Though I do believe some things have changed since 1898, for it is unlikely the original bakers were using coconut fat to make the hazelnut filling (which also contains sugar and cocoa powder, hence the colour), the basic outline of what constitutes a Manner Original Neapolitanerschnitte has remained constant until today. I should say, however, that since 1898, the product line has expanded. If hazelnut is not your thing, the Manner Schnitte also comes in lemon, coconut, vanilla, and chocolate.
