BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Polish Culture Torun Gingerbread

Here is an 18th century recipe that I copied from a souvenir "towel" wrapped around a piece of that "inedible gingerbread" I brought back to the States for a friend.

18th Century - The Gingerbread of Torun

Take as much unleavened honey as you like, put it in a bowl, [censored] a good deal of strong booze and water, and fry it slowly skimming until it becomes thick. Then pour it into a pan, mix with some white ginger, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, cubeb, cardamom, uncracked aniseed, finely chopped lemon peel and a certain amount of sugar. After pestling everything coarsely, pour the lot into hot honey and, keeping an eye on the proper amount of spices, stir. When the honey cools down and becomes lukewarm, add a sufficient amount of rye flour, mix everything together, and let it rest undercover until it becomes really cool. The turn the lot out onto a board and knead vigorously stirring in as much flour as need be. After that add chopped candied fruit or candied lemon peel, knead once again and shape such gingerbread as you please. Next, if you wish, after drizzling the surface with beer, sprinkle the top here and there with chopped candy and put the gingerbread into a stove to bake it. When it becomes golden brown, drizzle it over again using honey with skimmed beer, and then once more after you put it back into a stove.

"Compendium medicum auctum�" A.D.1725

Inedible Torun gingerbread is a real tourist item....

However, I think they are very attractive. They are made to hang on a wall, placed upright in a bookcase etc.

They are made with an inedible dough (usually has a lot of salt in the mixture - may have spices so they smell good <img src="/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />) and forced into (probably a copy) an old style gingerbread mold. After they've baked, they are brushed with a lacquer to protect and make them shiny.

If anyone out there knows more about this process I'd like to hear about it!

Regards,

Thanks you so much for the link to the St. Nicholas site! It is a wonderful resource <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I am very much opposed to the modern Santa Claus...like to think of "him" as a derivation or direct descendent of St. Nicholas. When my husband and I taught CCD (catechism) for 12 and 13-year-old students, we stressed St. Nicholas and make a "big deal" out of his feast day. This turned into my own children and close friends beginning and adding to a St. Nicholas collection of cards, statues, etc. for me.

But back to the recipes...I have a similar recipe for Ciastka Miodowe (Polish Honey Cakes) in one of my cookbooks; and the recipe for Janina's Piernik (Polish Honey Spice Cakes) is from another book I have - "Treasured Polish Christmas Customs and Traditions, The Polanie Club, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1972."

So, it never hurts to ask for another opinion...I never would have looked under the terms "honey cakes" or "honey spice cakes." <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Many, many thanks...I wish I could serve you a big virtual platter of honey cakes

Thanks for the name of the book...it is not one of the ones that I own. I am going to the library this evening and will see if I can find it... <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

TORUN HONEY-SPICE CAKE OLD POLISH STYLE staropolski piernik toruhski
This cake is meant to be prepared 3 weeks before Christmas or whatever other occasion you're planning. In saucepan combine l'/4 c. honey and 1-2 T. honey-spk seasoning, bring to boil, and set aside to cool somewhat. Sift 2 c. flour (preferably a I coarser, milled variety than the standard all-purpose type) onto board, making well at i of mound. Pour in warm honey and cut flour into it with knife until blended. Cut in * butter until blended and let stand 15 min. Sprinkle dough with 1 t. potassium carboi baking powder used solely for pierniks) and 4 t. baking soda. Add 1 jigger rum and beaten with 2 c. powdered sugar and grated rind of Ys lemon. Work ingredients by a full hr. Transfer dough, which by now should be very elastic, to narrow loafpans, them only half full. Cover dough in each pan with several thicknesses of dish towel at in cool place (cellar or fridge) 1 week. Remove towels, decorate tops with blanched halves, and bake in pre-heated 425� oven 1 hr. or longer, checking for doner wooden pick. If tops brown too quickly, cover with greased parchment paper or ah foil and reduce heat slightly. After baking, remove from pans and let cool on board in dish towels and refrigerate 2 weeks before serving. Just before serving, glaze or d� powdered sugar. Note: The piernik is just about the healthiest cake you can eat. It fat and cholesterol, and the combination of honey and spices stimulates digestion probably why it fits so nicely into Christmas, a time when overindulging in rich food* I order of the day.
LAYERED TORUN HONEY-SPICE CAKE piernik toruriski przekiadany
Into bowl sift 1V? c. rye flour and 2 c. all-purpose (wheat) flour. Bring 1 c. honey ' in saucepan, pour over flour, and mix well with wooden spoon. Beat 4 egg yolks powdered sugar until fluffy and add to flour-honey mixture together with 1 t. cinnar 1 t. ground cloves. Mix all ingredients well. When mixture cools to room temp., < T. baking soda in 2 T. cold water and mix into dough. Line narrow loafpan with all foil, grease it, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Fill !/2 full with dough. Use more than if needed. Brush top of dough with water, decorate with about !/4 c. blanched almond* � or halved) and bake in pre-heated 325� oven about 1 hr. When cake has cooled, cut horizontal layers. Spread bottom layer with powidla or Polish-style marmaladr

Thank you so much - Dziekuje <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The pictures of the pierniki made me hunger for a bite!

My Polish language skills are nihl...however I made out enough of the site you recommended to know that the translation I of the 18th century recipe I gave above is probably the same as the one you gave to us.

I have friends whose Polish language skills are proficient, so perhaps they can translate for me.

It is an interesting site and I did discover it before, but quickly left when I discovered it was all in Polish. But thank you for giving me the nudge to go back and arrive at getting my recipe from a different angle...ie having a friend translate for me <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />