Description
The Nürnberger Lebkuchen PGI are Christmas sweets obtained by mixing sugar with honey, eggs, dried fruit and a little flour (less than 10%).
Production Area
By tradition, the Nürnberger Lebkuchen PGI are only produced in Nuremberg, a municipal area in Middle Franconia, in the federal state of Bavaria.
Production Method
The processing starts with the preparation of the paste based on honey, sugar, eggs and vanilla sugar, to which walnuts, candied orange peel, candied citron, lemon and orange peel, ginger and other spices are added. The paste is then left to rest well covered in a cool place for 24 hours. The day after, it is parted into many small portions of roughly 15 gr each, positioned on wafers leaving a free edge of 3 to 5 mm, and baked in the oven at 200°C. The product is ready for consumption after cooling. Generally, a part of the baked sweets is also iced with various flavours, such as rum, chocolate, punch, and vanilla, and the icing is completed with nuts and candied fruits.
Appearance and Flavour
The Nürnberger Lebkuchen PGI have a round or rectangular shape, with a diameter of 8 to 10 cm, and are 1-1.5 cm high. The colour of the paste is generally brown, but there are also white Lebkuchen, which are exclusively rectangular. The paste is delicate and soft with small pieces of oil-seeds; the flavour is sweet, with a spicy aroma and a slight walnut taste.
History
The Nürnberger Lebkuchen PGI are the result of an old tradition. Originally, they were made as honey flat cake mixed with officinal herb juices in the convent's pharmacies, since honey was a secondary product of the candle production executed for the churches. The Lebkuchen were produced on a larger scale starting in the 18th and 19th centuries. The fame of the Lebkuchen produced in the city of Nuremberg is due to the availability of large quantities of honey, delivered from the royal forest - also called the "The garden of the bees of the Holy Roman Empire" - and of spices, which arrived in Nuremberg through commercial trading with the city of Venice.
Gastronomy
It is recommendable to preserve the Nürnberger Lebkuchen PGI in a cool place, in order to maintain their fragrance and softness. These sweets are best consumed plain. To fully enjoy them, it is best to serve them with a cup of tea, coffee or mulled wine.
Marketing
The product is sold in the varieties: Nürnberger Lebkuchen PGI in round or rectangular shapes, if the sweet has a brown paste; in exclusively rectangular shapes, if the paste is white, also available with covering of vanilla or chocolate icing. It is marketed in biscuit tins or loose at the Christmas market stands.
Distinctive Features
The Nürnberger Lebkuchen PGI are a typical sweet of the Christmas period and are marketed throughout Germany, starting in September until Christmas.
