In towns across Germany, Christmas would not be the same without Lebkuchen, honey-sweetened Christmas cookies often referred to as the German version of gingerbread. With a softer texture and richer in spices than gingerbread, Lebkuchen are considered a staple of German Christmas and a popular seasonal gift for friends and family.
Like many other European delicacies, these sweet and spicy cookies were invented by monks. It’s hard to determine the exact origin of this popular Christmas treat, but historians trace it back to monasteries active in the area of Nuremberg during the 13th century.
At the time, monasteries were one of the few institutions, together with royal palaces, that had access to spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and clove that were imported from abroad. During the 13th century, monasteries around Nuremberg started to mix the spices with local ingredients such as wheat, nuts, and honey to produce nutritious and easy to carry snacks for pilgrims traveling through the region.
From pilgrim snack to holiday treat
By the 14th century, Nuremberg became the center for Lebkuchen production, thanks to its location at the crossroads of major trade and pilgrimage routes and its proximity to forests rich in nuts and honey.
Lebkuchen started to be available outside monasteries, with local bakeries competing with each other to elevate the monastic recipe to perfection. Over the course of the centuries, Lebkuchen evolved from a pilgrim snack to a holiday treat especially tied to Christmas.
In the 17th century, Nuremberg’s municipality established Lebküchner, baker guilds specialized in Lebkuchen that established a series of guidelines for the production of the beloved treats. Recipes for Lebkuchen started to be closely guarded and passed down from one generation to the next in secrecy.
Today, Nuremberg’s Lebkuchen are a product of designation of origin, meaning that only specific bakeries from the town of Nuremberg can produce the famous “Nürnberger Lebkuchen” which is different from replicas because of its flourless recipe with a specific (and secret) ratio of almonds and hazelnuts.
Recipe
Those who make Lebkuchen at home, first make the dough by mixing nuts, flour, baking powder, lemon zest and spices in a large bowl. Eggs, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla extract are well combined and then added into the dry ingredients, until a sticky dough forms.
Then the candied fruit and raisins are added, and the mixture is chilled for at least two hours or overnight. The next day, bakers form them into small rounds of dough and bake. After they cool, the cookies are glazed and/or dipped in dark chocolate. Decorate them with whole almonds or candied fruit and voilà, Lebkuchen are ready to serve.
And today we celebrate...