Its fluted, turban-shaped mold is so tied to the region that Alsatian potters have made it in painted terracotta for centuries, and many households keep one hanging on the kitchen wall purely as decoration.
Kougelhopf is a yeasted brioche studded with raisins and whole almonds, baked in a fluted turban-shaped mold and dusted with powdered sugar once cooled. Alsatian bakeries sell it whole for Sunday mornings or in individual rolls at market stalls.