Marzipan made in Lübeck

Original Lübeck marzipan enjoys an excellent reputation all round the world – it must be the city’s most delicious ambassador and it takes its job very seriously. But who produces this traditional sweet and what exactly makes marzipan Lübeck marzipan? Embark on a seductive journey of discovery through the secret world of Lübeck’s patisseries!

Marzipan exists in many different forms: as a pure commodity for baking, as a tasty marzipan loaf or as an artistic figurine to be given as a gift. But only marzipan produced in Lübeck and the neighbouring towns of Bad Schwartau and Stockelsdorf can be called Lübeck marzipan. A genuinely regional product! And it also depends on the ingredients. Lübeck’s marzipan producers have undertaken to use no more than 30 percent sugar with 70 percent raw marzipan. Only then is marzipan Lübeck marzipan.

Lübeck is not only famous for being the “Queen of the Hanseatic League”, it also carries the epithet of the “marzipan city” with pride. So it’s no surprise that numerous companies as Lubeca, Martens, MEST and Marzipanland have dedicated themselves to the production of genuine Lübeck marzipan. Probably the best-known among Lübeck’s marzipan manufacturers is the family business of Niederegger which has conjured up a whole series of new marzipan delights since 1806.

One product, one family and a success story that has lasted to this day. After marzipan had found its way to Lübeck from the orient in the Middle Ages, the master confectioner Johann Georg Niederegger gave this exotic delicacy its unique character. In 1806, he took over a patisserie and gave it his name. He created the recipe which is still used today for Niederegger marzipan. Not only did the Russian czar’s court have the Lübeck delicacy delivered in 1858, Niederegger later also became a purveyor to the court of the German Emperor. In the Philippines, a marzipan cake was mistaken for a wall plate in 1926. The mistake was only noticed when the cake started to melt in the heat. People in England tried to fry or boil the cakes without making the dish any more palatable to their taste. In 1895, people in Chicago were even urgently advised not to eat marzipan: it was said to be the “most indigestible substance after putty and railway station sandwiches”. But marzipan conquered the world regardless. A genuine success story made in Lübeck! Today, over 200 years after it was founded, this family business with its head office right opposite Lübeck’s historical town hall is already in its seventh and eighth generation of management. So don’t forget to drop by Niederegger on your visit to Lübeck! Entrance to the Marzipan Museum on the 2nd floor of the café is free and it’s a real highlight!