Lübeck Marzipan

Marzipan is ground almonds and sugar, and German food regulations set a maximum sugar content for the raw paste; Lübecker Marzipan carries a protected geographical indication with a stricter requirement, so it holds a higher proportion of almond than standard marzipan. Lübeck's association with it dates from the eighteenth century, when the city's position in the Baltic trade brought almonds and sugar through the port, and Niederegger, founded in 1806, made it internationally known. A local story that it was invented during a famine when only almonds remained in the stores is repeated constantly and has no historical support.

What you actually see

• The higher almond content - a stricter standard than ordinary marzipan.
• The trade origin - almonds and sugar arriving through the Baltic port.
• The modelled shapes - fruit, figures and seasonal pieces in the shops.
• The famine legend - a widely told origin story with no evidence behind it.

When to go

Year-round; production and displays peak before Christmas. The old town shops sell it all year and a small museum covers the history.

Honest expectations

The famine story is folklore. Prices in the flagship shops are high. Cheap marzipan elsewhere is mostly sugar with little almond.

Nearby

Lübeck's old town surrounds the shops; Travemünde is on the coast.