Lebkuchen
honey-sweetened German cookie
Lebkuchen (German: [ˈleːpˌkuːxnˌ] ), Honigkuchen (German: [ˈhoːnɪçˌkuːxn̩] , 'honey cakes') or Pfefferkuchen (German: [ˈpfɛfɐˌkuːxn̩] , 'pepper cakes') are honey-sweetened German cakes, moulded cookies or bar cookies that have become part of Germany's Christmas traditions. They are similar to gingerbread.
Etymology
The etymology of Leb- in the term Lebkuchen 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 taken from the hive, that cannot be used for much beside baking. Folk etymology often associates the name with Leben (life), Leib (body), or Leibspeise (favorite food). Kuchen means 'cake'.
History
Sometime in history bakers noticed that honey-sweetened dough would undergo a natural fermentation process when stored in a cool location for several weeks, creating air bubbles that would improve the quality of the bread. Lebkuchen was started in November and baked in December after undergoing this fermentation period.
Lebkuchen was invented by monks in Franconia, Germany, in the 13th century.
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This entry incorporates text from “Lebkuchen” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.