Lübeck (III)—Marzipan

Many Americans might not be familiar with the historical and cultural heritage of Lübeck but still recognize its name—from its famous marzipan, to be exact. Lübecker Marzipan, similar to balsamic vinegar of Modena and prosciutto of Parma, is protected by law. The productional quality is highly controlled. Among all the manufactures, Niederegger is most celebrated with its 100% almond paste sweets.^[1] The texture of classical Niederegger Marzipan is light. While the candy melts in one’s mouth, the rich fruity taste lingers.

Due to the time constraint, I did not get to visit the Niederegger store. However, with Easter approaching, colorfully decorated candies could be seen from the street. They brought a sense of joy and celebration to the Old Town surroundings. And, of course, I brought marzipan home with me.

I was introduced to marzipan in the States. Its texture and taste instantly reminded me of Taiwanese mung bean cake.^[2] Almonds have high oil content. With the help of some egg white, almond flour can become shapeable paste easily. Mung beans need to be steamed, ground and mixed with sesame or vegetable oil^[3] before shaping into paste. The paste will be green if whole beans are used; pale yellow if skins are removed. Some cakes have red-bean-paste filling. Beautifully carved molds will be used to press out the cakes. These cakes used to be eaten on Dragon Boat Festival. Nowadays, they are readily available at pastry shops.

Marzipan are often shaped into fruits and animal figures.^[4] Their lively forms and bright colors always bring me right back to the street corner of my childhood, where vendors carefully crafted dough figurines.^[5] These little figures—often characters of traditional theater—made of flour or glutinous rice dough, were only a few inches long. But no details would be left out. I would stand mesmerized watching the vendors shaping each little part under their fingers and attaching them together one by one. The intense colors of the dough seemed to make the figurines bigger than life. Standing on top of bamboo sticks, they were alluring to any child both as candies and as toys. In theory, these figurines are edible things. I, out of curiosity, had put my tongue on them once or twice. MY verdict was that they were not meant to be eaten. I remembered tasting more of the food coloring than the sweet dough.

In Niederegger Marzipan Museum, there are life-size marzipan sculptures of historical figures and a miniature of the Old Town with the seven spires^[6] It seems that using candies as story-telling medium is a universal practice. And, they are irresistible to adults and children alike.

^[1] Lübeck_Marzipan_Wiki
^[2] Images of Taiwanese mung bean cakes
^[3]Some modern recipes use butter instead.
^[4] Thai mung bean cakes are formed and colored in a similar way: Images of Thai mung bean desserts.
^[5] Images of Chinese dough figurines
^[6]Niederegger marzipan museum: Official site.
Images of Marzipan Museum: Niederegger Lübeck.