[Sweet War] The 7-year/9-year legal battle over the "Original" Sacher-Torte...

Long ago, there was a 7-year legal battle between the Hotel Sacher and the royal purveyor café house Demel over which one was the original. This trial became one of the most famous legal battles in the Austrian confectionery industry.

The origin of the Sacher-Torte

The Sacher-Torte is a chocolate cake invented in 1832 by Franz Sacher, who was only 16 years old at the time.
It is said that it began when he was working at the court of Prince Metternich, Chancellor of the Austrian Empire, and was ordered to create a "special dessert."

Later, Franz's son, Eduard Sacher, trained at the famous royal purveyor Café Demel in Vienna, improved his father Franz's recipe, and the Sacher-Torte began to be sold at Demel.

Eduard later founded the "Hotel Sacher" and began serving the Sacher-Torte there as well.
This would become the spark for the later legal dispute.

The beginning of the trial

When Eduard died in 1907, his wife Anna Sacher took over the management of the Hotel Sacher, but the hotel's business gradually deteriorated and it went bankrupt in 1934. After that, the hotel was rebuilt by new management, but Demel, which was said to have inherited Eduard's recipe, continued to sell the Sacher-Torte.

In the 1950s, Demel began using the name "Original Sacher-Torte."
In response, the Hotel Sacher filed a lawsuit in 1954, claiming that they were the true originators and that Demel's claim was unjust.

Settlement and conclusion of the trial

Finally, in 1963, the trial reached a settlement.

The Hotel Sacher officially acquired the trademark for "Original Sacher-Torte"
With this, the Hotel Sacher became the only shop allowed to use the name "Original."

Demel could also sell Sacher-Torte, but could not use the term "Original"
They continued to sell it under the name "Demel's Sacher-Torte."

Since the trial began in 1954 and a settlement was reached in 1963, it counts as 9 years if you simply count the years.
However, there seem to be several theories as to why this trial is called the "7-Year War."
It is said that it began at the Vienna Regional Court in 1955, and that a fierce battle continued for 7 years thereafter.
And since a basic resolution was reached around 1961 and a formal settlement was established in 1963, it is possible that it came to be called the "7-Year War" as the period during which the main dispute continued.

As someone who doesn't like sweets, both were too sweet for me, and I couldn't even taste the difference.
I was surprised at first because whipped cream is served with it at café houses.
However, the whipped cream itself is barely sweet, so eating it together neutralized the sweetness, and I actually found it easier to eat.