Traditionally served at Christmas in Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin, beerawecka is also found in nearby countries such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It consists of a cake made from dried fruits such as walnuts, hazelnuts, apricots and figs, and candied peel, usually lemon or orange. The ingredients are all macerated in plum or damson liqueur, then covered with a thin layer of highly spiced cake mixture.
Originally, this cake came from Alsace's Jewish community, which served this dried fruit cake at Jewish Easter. The rest of the population adopted it gradually, serving it at Christmas celebrations. In Bas-Rhin, beerawecka is also known as Hutzelbrot.