*marzipan* - and why it has to be from Lübeck

It's quite annoying to give marzipan to a friend and then not be able to explain why this particular marzipan is the best in the world.

OK, Lübeck. Some of what's to come I actually learned in primary school, but long live google...

This, btw, is the Holstentor, Lübeck's major attraction and also depicted on the marzipan wrapping

Founded it 1143 by a bloke called Adolf von Schauenburg (for some reason I've always thought it was Henry the Lion...) on a hill with the funny name Buku. Ah, and here comes Henry the Lion. First he flattened the place in 1157 (actually it burned down), made Adolf step down and then he re-founded it, because it was such a good strategic location. He granted city rights and privileges (?) and Lübeck started to prosper.

In 1266, the Hansa was born, and Lübeck, for several reasons (basically OLI stuff, but that's for insiders...), was to assume a leading role in an organisation that spanned roughly 200 cities and pretty much all of Central and Northern Europe.

And to cut a long story short - this made the city awfully rich and powerful and during the time the Hanseatic League controlled much of the then known world, advanced to be one of the centres of the so-called Backsteingotik - brick architecture.

This is the town hall, by the way. Lübeck is a beautiful place to visit, fairly small but incredibly rich in history and culture.

And the host a phantastic historic Christmas market, which is usually mobbed but has quite some atmosphere (and we had a great hot chocolate).

But what about the marzipan?

*gg* It's the best. And what I just found out thanks to Niederegger's web presence:

Gosh, I'm hungry now...