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From the bemused look on their face when they first come into contact with Schüttelbrot, of course! But joking apart, everyone from the North Sea to southern Italy will have heard by now that the South Tyroleans have good teeth and that the local speciality bread, Schüttelbrot, is as well known as speck bacon. The best Schüttelbrot has been made at the traditional Happacher bakery in Moos since 1955. In Sexten it is available, together with many other delicious speciality breads, from “Bäckerei Trenker”. “It isn’t just the range that has changed in the past few decades,” recalls the mother of master baker, Matthias Happacher, who runs the family business today. And, as the beating heart of the household, she ought to know! In the past there were only two kinds of bread: the typical Val Pusteria “breatl” (flavoursome rye bread made from sour dough) and the “struze” (white loaf). “Yes, times are changing,” says the seasoned baker’s wife. “In days gone by the recipes were handed down from one generation to the next, whilst today there is lots of experimentation because the customer always has new tastes. At the moment the trend is conclusively away from white bread towards wholegrain bread.” But the Schüttelbrot remains a popular classic.