Hansel & Gretel

One of the many Octoberfest traditions, is the making of lebkuchen hearts. They are sold at most kiosks, and they are regularly given away as promotional gifts from large companies like BMW. You can even customize your own. The cookie decorating dates back to medieval Germany, where lebkuchen was crafted into fancy shapes and decorated with sugar – prompting the folk story Hansel and Gretel. The cookies became world famous as some of the first that were shaped, but you would be hard pressed to find one today without its famous “royal” icing. But I assure you that these lovely hearts are better to gaze at than to bite into – as the sugar content is amazingly high. For most people, it’s the sweetest think they’ve ever tasted.