European Tradition in Nuremberg, Germany

Lebkuchen Gingerbread at Germany Christmas Markets

Sep 7, 2009 Donna West

Join in with the local people of this community of Nuremberg, Germany celebrating German traditions of Christmas Markets and this special Lebkuchen gingerbread cookie.

A traveler in the international community of Nuremberg, Germany, who smells the many delights of mixed spices laced in the autumn air as he or she walks down sidewalks in the traditional Main Market Square, knows immediately what this city is best known for. The scent in the air launches the familiar season of the famous German Christmas markets known throughout Europe.

Nuremberg highlights two of its culinary specialties and traditional foods, their famous Lebkuchen , a spicy gingerbread cookie available during the holidays and Bratwürste, fried sausages, which is available all year round.

William Shakespeare is quoted from Love’s Labours Lost, “And I had but one penny in the world. Thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread.”

Biting into this spicy flavored gingerbread cookie with the wafer like bottom or "oblate" is an experience only found in Nuremberg. What makes Lebkuchen, a spicy gingerbread, such an international treat?

The product, Lebkuchen, a spicy gingerbread, is a protected product of the European Union, and permitted to use the EU stamp. Only qualified members of this bakers Guild “family” passed down from generation to generation are privileged make this product within Nuremberg’s city limits.

Nuremberg, Germany and Lebkuchen Gingerbread Cookies

The traditions within this city making Lebkuchen, date all the way back to the Franconian monks making Pfefferkuchen, a honey cake. Nuremberg has always been strategically located along the international trade and spice path in Europe. This city is located on the German river banks of the Pegnitz, with canals running through the Old Town area in southern Germany, known as Bavaria, and is centrally placed between Frankfurt and Munich.

With two million travelers to Germany, one finds a balance in Nuremberg of very healthy, active modern city of a half million residents, yet very rich of traditions. Of the many festivals held throughout the year in Nuremberg, the most famous is Christkindlesmarkt, or Christmas Market on Nuremberg's Main Market Square.

The Christmas Angel opens this Christmas market in this "little town made from wood and cloth" as the Nuremberg website describes. Visitors converge upon these Markets to uncover many items like this spicy gingerbread, Christmas ornaments, toys and sweets, adding to the excitement of the holiday season. An additional benefit of this special gingerbread cookie is keeping the artistic tin or box container the cookies come in which are collectors’ items.

Spices in the Lebkuchen Gingerbread

Although recipes remain a secret among these bakers, a popular sightseeing attraction is visiting the Germanic National Museum, in Nuremberg, where the oldest gingerbread recipe which dates back to the 16th century is displayed.

These secret family recipes have combined the correct blend of aniseed, cloves, ginger, cardamom, mace, coriander, allspice, candied orange and lemon peel, and cinnamon mixed together with almonds and other nuts which visitors smell and taste starting in August and lasts through the December holiday season.

Lebkuchen Gingerbread Tradition

Currently, about 2,000 of these wafer based gingerbread cookies find their way onto baking trays with 4,000 hands producing this niche German product.

These gingerbread bakers of Nuremberg may be traced back to the year 1395; it was in 1643 the Nuremberg City Council permitted the formation of a “sworn gingerbread guild” which continues today from the original fourteen Nuremberg master gingerbread bakers.

People respect these bakers, although not without a few challenges through the years, because to continue the tradition was through marriage of the baker’s daughter. Additionally, the successful Zeidler guild, bee-keeping and bee-breeding, close to Nuremberg, provided these bakers with desirable honey as an ingredient to bake this special gingerbread.

Today, gingerbread production is assisted through use of machinery, although people may still find hand shaped and hand made cakes in individual bakeries. The most well known gingerbread cookies since the early 1800’s are “Elisen” whose name comes from one of the Nuremberg gingerbread baker’s daughters.

Travelers breathe in the flavor of this special Lebkuchen gingerbread cookie as they walk the streets of historic old Main square during the famous German Christmas Markets in Nuremberg, Germany every year.

Resources used for this aricle from Nuremberg's Tourist Board and Nuremberg Gingerbread websites.

The copyright of the article European Tradition in Nuremberg, Germany in Culinary Travel is owned by Donna West. Permission to republish European Tradition in Nuremberg, Germany in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.