body art nürnberger lebkuchen biscuits made

ziech57947    April 29, 2023    Comment   

One of my favourite edible Christmas gifts this year was a simple box of German Lebkuchen. This is the good stuff from Nürnberg, the historical home of these popular Christmas biscuits. As you may know, the medieval season of Christmas extends to Candlemas so I’ve been happily munching my way through them this Epiphany…

My friend Nicki who gifted them to me also sent me an article explaining that it was Bavarian monks who first created these biscuits in the fourteenth century using special wafers called

As a base to build them on. It was an epiphany to her and to me to find out that this was essentially the same wafer used for Communion. Here’s a close-up viewed from the upper and lower sides so you can see it clearly:

Lebkuchen Schmidt Choice Chocolate Coated Lebkuchen

It felt a little odd at first, but perhaps the idea that the same wafers used for the blessed sacrament should also be eaten in a mood of festive recreation is not so very strange when you remember the word

And connects back to older ideas about the observance of sacred leisure. These ‘traditionally built’ Lebkuchen are a surprisingly light bite given their size, not heavy in their texture but not insubstantial either, combining the Christmassy flavours of chocolate, ginger and citrus peel.

As the foundation for these biscuits got me thinking about foundations in general, which seems a good subject to consider at the beginning of the (modern) year.

Wicklein Nurnberger Gingerbread Lebkuchen 3 Varieties 7.05 Oz. (pack Of 2) 899668000411

, wrote Israel’s King Solomon, famous throughout the ancient world for his wisdom. This week I’ve been reading about the beginning of his reign again, of his magnificent building projects and scholarly works, and the discerning heart that God granted him to govern his people.

By wisdom a house is built and by understanding is it established, through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure

Is one of his many recorded sayings, a beautiful image that encourages me to think about how I want to fill all the ‘rooms’ of the year ahead…

Easy German Lebkuchen Recipe (nürnberger Elisenlebkuchen Cookies)

As Solomon suggests the way we order our lives – what we prioritise and choose to focus on – will determine what we are able to build on and in them. Sometimes the first step to doing this may in fact be digging deeper and even dismantling to support a better structure over time. In a similar way in the gospels Jesus compares the person who hears his words and put them into practice to a wise man who builds his house upon a rock:

(Matt. 7). Perhaps the monks of Nuremberg saw an aptness in using the wafers used for the body of Christ as the foundation for their biscuits, much as Christ was held by the Church to be the foundation of God’s household, its cornerstone.

, St. Benedict tells us – author of the Rule that became a foundation text of the monastic culture that so profoundly shaped medieval Europe and generated extraordinary achievements in scholarship and creativity, not forgetting the

Wicklein Mini Dark Chocolate Nurnberger Lebkuchen, Gingerbread, 150g (set Of 2), Made In Germany

. Each year – each morning – can be an exercise in beginning, and if we aren’t quite sure how or what to start it can be helpful to examine our foundations.

. (If you’re in the UK and would prefer to buy than make your own, you can get authentic Bavarian brands at a decent price from Lidl.)

… As I write this, a kind Catholic friend at the London Library has just appeared with a copy of Esther de Waal’s book on

Chocolate Lebkuchen Cookies 9 Oz Each (2 Items Per Order, Not Per Case)

, a beautiful fifteenth-century German carol preserved in a monastery in Trier, set in this form by Michael Praetorius and performed by Solomon’s Knot:

If you would like to keep this bestiary free from ads and see more entries more regularly you are welcome to contribute to the Biscuit Jar.The Nuremberg or Nürnberger Lebkuchen manufacturers have always baked, not only for the needs of the Nuremberg residents, but also for long-distance trade. The Gingerbreads went “all over the world” on old trade routes and with them the good reputation

The most famous Nuremberg Lebkuchen are the “Elisen” which are round shaped gingerbread cookies baked on thin white wafers. They are named after the Baker’s daughter

Nuremberg Lebkuchen Hi Res Stock Photography And Images

When was the Lebkuchen or Gingerbread made? The story of Lebkuchen began thousands of years ago. A first written reference to Gingerbread can be found around 350 BC. BC, but even the ancient Egyptians coated cakes with honey and baked them together. According to the mythology of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Teutons, honey was a gift from the world of Gods. And the Bible also speaks of the “promised land in which milk and honey flow”. This explains why in ancient times honey was ascribed as a divine gift as having demon-driving, healing and life-giving effects.

You will need dried fruits like the ones you can buy on Amazon below, or make your own candied Orange and Lemon peel in the Instant Pot here

Lebkuchen was mentioned in 1296 in Ulm and in 1395 in Nuremberg. Why it was called Lebkuchen is uncertain. It might has derived from Laib (loaf), Leben (life), lebbe (sweet), or Leib (body). Some say it could have been “Leb-Honig” which is crystallized honey and used mostly for baking. Lebkuchen is also known sometimes as Pfefferkuchen or Honigkuchen , depending on the ingredients. This type of Lebkuchen or Gingerbread was served with a strong dark beer during Lent.

Authentic German Lebkuchen

To prevent Lebkuchen dough from sticking, it is usually placed on a thin wafer base called Oblaten, which is made with the same ingredients as (and resembles) unleavened communion wafers (a monk’s idea). Lebkuchen made without flour is called Elisen, named for a Nuremberg baker’s daughter.

In the Middle Ages, Pfeffer or Pepper was the collective term for all spices whose stomach-friendly effect was well known in monastery kitchens, to promote digestion and alleviate the feeling of fullness. So the resourceful monks seasoned their Lebkuchen with everything that Venice’s ships brought into the harbor, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, cloves cinnamon, ginger, anis, and of course with black pepper.

There is documentary evidence of a Nuremberg Lebkuchen were baked in the Schmidgasse in 1395. A particularly memorable day was in 1487, when Kaiser Friedrich III came to Nuremberg and the local kids were invited to a big meal at the Imperial Castle. Almost 4, 000 children were given Lebkuchen with a portrait of the emperor Friedrich on it. The actual craft of gingerbread was not officially spoken of until the 17th century. Nuremberg council finally approved the establishment of its own Nuremberg Lebkuchen-Gingerbread guild, after almost a hundred years of unsuccessful striving for independence in 1643

German Lebkuchen Cookies (how To Make Lebkuchen)

Since 1441 a Spice Show was held in Nuremberg. Sworn auditors checked the quality of the spices delivered. The Thirty Years War brought a severe decline for the Nuremberg Lebkuchen, the merchants were no longer delivered spices, the city was basically cut off from the rest of the world. This shortage lasted for almost two centuries.

The change came with the freedom of trade in 1867 by the transition from handycraft to industrial production. But that did not happen overnight. The mass production required the development and construction of special machines that were suitable for the heavy gingerbread dough.

The two world wars brought hard blows to the Nuremberg Lebkuchen industry. During WWI was an unimaginable shortage of raw materials. In December 1916, baking gingerbread was banned because it was a luxury. Virtually none of the Nuremberg gingerbread factories survived WWII without damage, some were completely destroyed in the bombing. Almost all of them have been completely rebuilt, expanded and modernized.

Best Elisenlebkuchen Recipe

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2, 000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

I am born and lived half of my life in Germany (Bavaria), and then the South East of the US. I like to travel, especially within Europe, where I experience different cultures and European cuisine. I love to cook, so when I am home I recreate the meals I grew up with or ate on my travels. My other hobbies are painting and creating Glass Mosaic art. My Motto: I travel not to escape Life, but for Life not to escape me

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Lebkuchen Schmidt Butter Biscuits

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (December 2014) Click [show] for important translation instructions.

The etymology of Leb- in the term Lebkuch is uncertain. Proposed derivations include: from the Latin libum (flat bread), from the Germanic word Laib (loaf), and from the Germanic word lebbe (very sweet). Another likely possibility is that it comes from the old term Leb-Honig, the rather solid crystallized honey tak from the hive, that cannot be used for much beside baking. Folk etymology oft associates the name