Lübeck Marzipan (german: Lübecker Marzipan) refers to

marzipan Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and small marzipan imita ...

originating from the city of

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

in northern Germany and has been protected by an EU Council Directive as a “

Protected Geographical Indication Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and Traditional food, traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promo ...

” (PGI) since 1996. The quality requirements of Lübeck Marzipan are set higher than those of conventional marzipan and are regulated by the RAL German Institute for Quality Assurance and Classification. For a product to qualify as Lübeck Marzipan, a product must contain no more than 30% sugar, while the Lübeck Fine Marzipan must contain up to 10% sugar. The marzipan manufacturers of Lübeck such as

Niederegger J. G. Niederegger GmbH & Co. KG is a producer of marzipan and sweets which is based in Lübeck, Germany. Niederegger was founded in Lübeck on 1 March 1806 by Johann Georg Niederegger (1777–1856). The company is a family-owned limited priv ...

, Carstens, Lubeca or Marzipan-Land, however, follow some principles of quality by voluntary commitments, not required by the directive. Niederegger, for example, uses 100%

almond paste Almond paste is made from ground almonds or almond meal and sugar in equal quantities, with small amounts of cooking oil, beaten eggs, heavy cream or corn syrup added as a binder. It is similar to ''marzipan'', but has a coarser texture. Almond ...

and no sugar.

History

While marzipan has been produced in

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the ...

since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the product typically contained a large amount of sugar, with only a small amount of almond mixed in. This was largely due to there being only a limited supply of almonds, as they are not grown in the area and had to be imported. Lübeck, as the capital of the Hanseatic League, was an important trading hub, which ensured a steady supply of ingredients. Consequently, in the 18th century, the marzipan produced in Lübeck started becoming well known for its high quality, due to its high almond content. Today, Lübeck is host to several attractions that reference the city's association with marzipan. The most notable of these is the Niederegger Marzipan Museum, which includes amongst its exhibits: historical accounts of the production of marzipan, the original 1806 Niederegger recipe and various historical figures sculpted in marzipan.

References

External links

europa.eu: Protected Geographical Indication
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lubeck Marzipan Lübeck German products with protected designation of origin Marzipan