As the saying goes, the path to a person’s heart goes through their stomach.
Leipzigers are no exception, and the city boasts a few unique local specialities that visitors are encouraged to try. From sweet treats to speciality beer, Leipzig offers foodie visitors a chance to taste the rich history of this quaint Saxon city.
Window display of delectable Lerche varieties in Handwerksbäckerei & Café Kleinert. Image by Matej Eber.
Leipziger Lerche
The Leipzig Lerche is a delightful local confectionery. The word ‘lerche’ means bird lark in German. Around 1.5 million of these birds were caught each year in and around Leipzig, baked with herbs and eggs, and served with sauerkraut or wrapped in bacon. Legend has it that in 1860 there was a terrible hailstorm and the streets were littered with thousands of dead songbirds. This led to citizen protests and the banning of lark hunting in 1876. Resourceful bakers created a delicacy from shortcrust pastry with almonds and strawberry jam or marzipan to replace the beloved dish.
To this day, the Leipziger Lerchen are still made by hand in seven different steps and are more popular than ever before.
Germany knows its beer! Image by Gerrie van der Walt, public domain.
Gose
Leipzig has a saying which loosely translates to, "As a rose among the flowers, so is Gose among the beers!" This top-fermented, slightly sour wheat beer is enriched with coriander. Its name comes from the old imperial city of Goslar, where it originated. It was quite popular in the Middle Ages, and has been brewed in Leipzig since the mid-eighteenth century. In 1986 the old Gosen brewery was reopened, and today Gose can be found in more than 100 pubs. It is often mixed with Leipziger Allasch, syrup and cherry liqueur.
Allasch
Allasch is a caraway liqueur with a high alcohol content, a strong caraway fragrance and heaps of sugar. It owes its name to the rural estate in Latvia, near Riga, where it was first produced. It was presumably brought to Leipzig by traders around 1830. It is usually served ice-cold to aid digestion after a meal. Locals like to combine it with Gose, a drink known as a "Gose Umbrella".
Leipziger Allerlei with Hollandaise sauce. Image by Kemfar, public domain.
Leipziger ‘Allerlei’
Apparently, Leipzig's best-known speciality is Leipziger ‘Allerlei’, although in my two years of living there I never encountered it! Legend has it that Allerlei was served as a subterfuge to tax collectors. By serving a humble vegetable main course, wealthy Leipzigers tried to convince them that the household was poor. However, according to a traditional recipe, alongside young vegetables it may also include morels, crayfish tails and bread dumplings.
Matej and Svetlana in front of the Bach statue next to Thomaskirche. Image by Justine Smiles.
Bachtaler
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 2000, local confectioner René Kandler created a special pastry called the Bachtaler. A chocolate bowl is filled with canache cream, a delectable combination of cream and butter cream. At the center, enclosed in hazelnut shortcrust pastry, nestles a single coffee bean.
The original Bachtaler is still baked exclusively today by the innovative confectioners of Café Kandler. However, they also have other amazing treats up their sleeves, for example the delicious Bachtorte. Filled with a light mocha coffee cream and served with hot chocolate or a cup of Bach coffee it makes the perfect afternoon treat!
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