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Alsace
Every 6 December, on Alsatian windowsills, a warm little brioche man awaits well-behaved children — the promise that Saint Nicholas has forgotten no one.
Pastry or bakery speciality from Alsace.
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The word Mannele comes from Alsatian Alemannic and Lorraine Franconian: it literally means 'little man'. Shaped like a human figure, this brioche has been prepared since the 15th century by bakers of Germanic tradition for Saint Nicholas Day, celebrated on 6 December, as well as by many Alsatian and Moselle families. Its origin remains divided between two accounts: some see it as a representation of Saint Nicholas himself, Bishop of Myre; in Alsace, people often prefer to recognise the three children the saint is said to have saved from an ill-intentioned butcher, a legend recorded by the writer Louis Pitz in his Contes et légendes de Lorraine. According to the tale, during one of his journeys Saint Nicholas found three little children locked in a butcher's salting tub, and brought them back to life with a gesture of three fingers.
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The brioche changes name from one department to the next: it is known as Mannele in the Bas-Rhin and neighbouring Moselle, and as Mannala in the Haut-Rhin, where Saint Nicholas Day is traditionally celebrated from the previous evening, 5 December. In eastern France, the same figure bears yet other names depending on the valley: 'petit Saint-Nicolas' in Lorraine, coualé or kouâlé in the Vosges — a word meaning 'twisted' in the Lorraine dialect and recalling the little man's twisted silhouette —, or Jean Bonhomme in Franche-Comté. The Mannele belongs to a whole family of Alsatian 'Saint Nicholas breads', alongside the snail-shaped Schnackle or Schnekerle and small gingerbread Läckerlis. Enjoyed with the family, it readily accompanies a bowl of hot chocolate or coffee; some bakers enrich it with raisins or chocolate chips, or even dip it in melted chocolate.
Appearance
A golden brioche roll, shaped into the silhouette of a little man — a round head set upon a body with arms and legs cut with a knife, the eyes marked by two pine nuts or raisins.
Taste
Lightly sweet brioche, scented with butter and yeast, with no dominant spices.
Texture
Soft, pull-apart crumb beneath a thin, glossy crust, obtained by an egg yolk glaze before baking.
the most common version, with two pine nuts for eyes.
raisins or chocolate chips for the eyes and buttons, sometimes dipped in melted chocolate.
some artisans craft the same little man in honey gingerbread, decorated by hand with marzipan motifs.
the shaped figures rise once again for about 30 minutes under a damp cloth.
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The Mannele is enjoyed warm or at room temperature, most often for breakfast or as an afternoon snack on 6 December, accompanied by a bowl of hot chocolate or café au lait — the classic combination for an Alsatian child's afternoon treat.
The Mannele bears no official quality mark (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP), Label Rouge): it is a family pastry with an open, uncodified recipe, prepared just as much by bakers of Germanic tradition as by Alsatian families themselves.
Artisan
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Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Bernauer, run by Emmanuelle and Christophe Bernauer, is located in the heart of Bergheim (Haut-Rhin), on the Route des Vins d'Alsace. It operates as an artisan bakery and pastry shop offering pure butter viennoiseries made on the premises, as well as light catered meals and a tearoom.
In December 2020, regional public radio station ICI Elsass (formerly France Bleu Alsace) featured the bakery in a report, noting that its traditional Mannele each wore a face mask, in a nod to the health regulations then in place.
| Address | 16 Grand Rue, 68750 Bergheim, France |
| +33 3 89 73 63 62 | |
| boulangerie.bernauer@free.fr | |
| facebook.com | |
| Facebook page | |
| Visits | Yes |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2018. |