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Lebkuchen

"Helen & Peter Frati" <frati183@blazenetme.net>
Sat, 15 Jun 2002 19:26:58 -0400
v102.n026.17
Lebkuchen

The honey-sweetened gingerbread of central Europe

In Germany - where they are first recorded in correspondence dated 1320 - 
Lebkuchen were originally made in monasteries; eventually special guilds 
were formed for the bakers.

The earliest recorded German recipe for Lebkuchen, from the sixteenth 
century, calls for honey, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, and 
flour.  None of the eggs, butter or leavening agents which one finds in 
recipes today were used; nore were chopped nuts minced mixed peel. In 
earlier times, Lebkuchen were made in both a simple form-plain flat 
biscuits, sold in bundles or wrapped in coloured paper-and in more 
elaborate forms, generally printed with moulds made of carved wood, ceramic 
or metal.  Sold at fairs, carnivals and markets and given on special occasions.

Because honey has especially good keeping properties, Lebkuchen can be 
baked and stored in airtight containers.   for the best flavour, Lebkuchen 
should be stored for at least two weeks before they are eaten as the spices 
ripen with time.  If Lebkuchen become too hard once they are stored, which 
is often the case, they can be softened by placing a slice of raw apple in 
the closed container for a few days.

from the book:
Festive Baking In Austria, Germany and Switzerland