''Bethmännchen'' (
German for "a little Bethmann") is a
pastry made from
marzipan
Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract.
It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzi ...
with
almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
,
powdered sugar,
rosewater
Rose water ( fa, گلاب) is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. Rose water is also used to flavour ...
,
flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
and
egg
An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
. It is a traditional cookie usually baked for Christmas Day and is widely available in chocolate shops around
Frankfurt.
It is a special commodity sold in Frankfurt's
Christmas market, one of the oldest Christmas markets in
Germany which dates back as far as 1393.
History
The name comes from the
family of Bethmann. Legend has it that Parisian
pastry chef Jean Jacques Gautenier developed the recipe for banker and city councilor Simon Moritz von Bethmann in 1838. Originally the Bethmännchen were decorated with four almonds, one for each son of Simon Moritz. After the death of his son Heinrich in 1845, the fourth almond was removed. However, this story is unlikely, since Simon Moritz had died already in 1826.
After one and a half centuries of manufacturing, its form and recipe has never been changed.
Christmas Recipe from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in London
Retrieved 25 August 2013
See also
* List of almond dishes
* List of German desserts
* List of pastries
References
External links
A recipe for BethmännchenKonditorei Hollhorst
* ttp://www.essen-und-trinken.de/bethmaennchen Bethmannchen via Google Translate
Christmas food
Christmas in Germany
Marzipan
German pastries
Hessian cuisine
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