REFLEKTOR / SPOTLIGHT
Nirnberg vam zamiriše i pre nego što ga ugle- date, i to na „lebkuchen“ ili medenjak, najpo- znatiji slatki simbol grada, čija priča počinje u srednjem veku, kada su začini poput cimeta, karanfilića i muskatnog oraščića dolazili iz dale- kih trgovačkih ruta i bili luksuz dostupan samo retkima. Zbog toga su medenjaci u početku bi- li vezani za monaške zajednice i imućne zanatli- je. Med, orasi i začini mešali su se u gustu ma- su, razvlačili tanko, pa pekli. Kasnije si postaje neizostavan deo božićne tradicije, posebno na „Christkindlesmarktu“, koji ceo grad obavije mi- risom cimeta i meda. Ono što je zanimljivo je- ste da postoje stroga pravila kvaliteta – određe- ne verzije moraju imati visok procenat orašastih plodova i minimalno brašna, što ovaj slatkiš ipak razlikuje od običnih medenjaka. Pored „lebkuchena“, Nirnberg ima i manje po- znate slatkiše poput „zwetschgenmännle“ (fi- gurice od suvih šljiva i orašastih plodova) i bo- gate marcipanske varijacije koje se pojavljuju tokom zimskih meseci. Ali nijedan ne nosi toliko istorijskog „tereta začina“ kao „lebkuchen“, koji u sebi ima mirise sveta.
Jedno od najpoznatijih mesta gde se i dalje proizvodi po tradicionalnim standardima je „Schmidt Lebkuchen Nürnberg“ Lebkuchen-Schmidt is one of the most famous places in the city where gingerbread is still produced according to traditional standards
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NIRNBERG i medenjaci NUREMBERG & GINGERBREAD
You can smell Nuremberg gingerbre- ad, or lebkuchen, even before you can see the city. This most famous sweet symbol of the city, with a story dating back to medieval times, when spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg first arrived from distant trade routes and were a luxury available only to the few. That’s why gingerbread was initially lin- ked to monastic communities and we- althy artisans. Honey, nuts and spices were combined to form a thick mass, before being stretched thin and ba- ked. This speciality subsequently be- came an indispensable part of the Christmas tradition, especially at Chri- stmas markets, enveloping the who- le city in the aroma of cinnamon and honey. Interestingly, strict quality rules exist — certain versions must have a high percentage of nuts and minimum flour, which distinguishes this speciali- ty from regular gingerbread. Apart from lebkuchen, Nuremberg al- so has sweets like zwetschgenmännle (prune and walnut figurines) and rich marzipan variations that appear during the winter months. But none of them carry such an historical “burden of spi- ces” as lebkuchen, which contains the scents of the world.
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