Nürnberg Lebkuchen

When do you start to think about Christmas? Me? In September, sometimes earlier. But to really feel it – October. For the citizens of Nürnberg, the magic of gingerbread spices filling the air starts in August, when the entire city smells like spice and everything nice. If that happened anywhere else, it would be a sign of insanity, but not in Nürnberg, the capital of gingerbread. 

Have you had one? The round, not-so-good-looking, seemingly old ginger bread from Nürnberg? The one that is not crispy at all, baked on oblates, and sometimes covered with a thin layer of sugar or in many cases, chocolate? 

The gingerbread itself is very, very different from any other gingerbread around the world. Made from honey, flour, eggs, nuts and, oh, so many spices and a bit of candied lemon or orange peel, they are the gingerbread of gingerbreads. Born around 1395, they became famous, thanks mostly to the location and the very convenient trade routes where all the spices were sold. They say that in 1441, there were special guards around the city to prevent bad spices from being brought in: they checked every little bit and only the good ones were delivered to the gingerbread bakers. 

Spices were not the only benefits for the Nürneberg bakers – there was honey, too. Clean honey from the surrounding forests. Sugar was far too expensive an ingredient (from India) to be used, and the beekeepers’ guild was happy to participate here with their business. Since the day this gingerbread was invented and later perfected, the recipes have been kept as a secret in every family, not in written form, though: the first written recipe discovered is from the 16th century. 

In 1643, the first gingerbread guild was established, and two years later, the first rules were created. Rule number one was pretty simple – to sell gingerbread you had to have your own oven. The guild did its best to protect the industry, and it was almost impossible to be admitted to the guild (it was still a business to be guarded by the founders), and marrying a baker’s daughter was the easiest way to get your diploma. So, there were many young ladies on the market, and one of them, Eliza, has kept her name in history: thanks to her, there’s a gingerbread called Eliza cakes. Does there really need to be a reason for everything?  

The strangest thing is that researchers have still not discovered how, in God’s name, the name Lebkuchen was born. Looking at Latin, libum was a round, smooth, yeast-free bread that Greeks, Romans and Egyptians used to eat. Other versions suggest that there are some connections between German names: Laib (loaf), Leben (life), Leib (flesh) or Liebspeise (dearest food). 

If the origin of the name is sill covered by a big cloud, the idea, the reason it is baked on an oblate is as clear as fresh air on a cold day. In the Middle Ages, when Franciscan monks baked honey cookies with spices (the precursors of gingerbread), one of the bakers thought to put the dough on an oblate so that it would not stick to the pan (there was no baking paper at the time). Centuries passed, but the Germans still believe strongly that there’s nothing better than their Nürnberg gingerbread, and in 1927, a Berlin court ruled that the name Nürnberg lebkuchen can be used only for gingerbread baked in and around Nürnberg. 

Since 1867 and industrialization, the dough is not mixed by hand, but 4000 people still make 2000 gingerbreads every minute in Nürnberg, from August to December. While globalization is spreading, there are still lots of small-scale bakeries in the city, where you can have a piece of gingerbread baked by the master. For those not traveling to Nürnberg, one of the brands I heartily suggest is Wicklein. 

Story and pictures: Signe Meirane
Camera: Sony Alpha 7s