A Chicken for Lebkuchen
Linguists have been known to fight bitterly over whether the word “Lebkuchen”comes from a “LaibKuchen” (“loaf cake”), “Fladenkuchen” (“flat cake”), or “Lebenskuchen” (“life cake”). It is certain, however, that the oldest lebkuchen were called honey cakes and were buried with the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. In 1296 near Ulm, the patrician name Lebzelter was documented for the first time. In 1395, an entry appears in the ledger of the Nuremburg Teutonic Order stating that the fee of one chicken was levied as rent for a Lebzelter house. Real foodies won’t have to think long about whether that was a good exchange.
