Traditional Lienz Christmas Delight is in Season

What would Christmas be without Christmas pastries? Various local and regional delicacies give the festival a special culinary touch. The Lienz Lebzelt looks back on a very noble tradition: Its origins date back to the late period of the Counts of Wolkenstein-Rodenegg in the 17th century.

Ausgewählte Gewürze & "Die Anbetung der Könige" (1644)

The Lebzelt, made today by the local master bakers Joast, Glanzl, and Gruber according to an old recipe, filled with genuine honey from bees, is filled with cranberries from East Tyrol. In its taste, it is enhanced by a selected spice blend of cinnamon, cloves, coriander, nutmeg, anise, ginger, and fennel. Echoes of Mediterranean baking traditions are unmistakable. On the top, following the centuries-old tradition of "shaped breads," it is decorated with a special artwork: based on a model dating back to 1644, the popular Christmas motif of the adoration of the Three Wise Men is shown in a marzipan imprint.Dating back to 1644, the popular Christmas motif of the adoration of the Three Wise Men is shown in a marzipan imprint. As described in the Bible (Gospel of Matthew), three wise men from the East, following a shining star, came to Bethlehem to worship the infant Jesus.

Art in cake form

The artistically valuable depiction in a Renaissance-early Baroque style is negative and reversed carved into a block of pear wood. The depiction of the Epiphany, framed by a wreath of leaves, has a sizeable diameter of approx. 23 cm. The baking pan, the model, was made by an unknown artist and dated “1644”. The multiple appearance of a five-petal rose, as shown in the original coat of arms of the Lienz citizens, can be considered a reference to Lienz.

In the collection of gingerbread tent models in the Museum of the City of Lienz at Bruck Castle, the former residence of the Counts of Gorizia, there are other motifs related to Christmas, such as St. Nicholas (18th century) or Krampus (19th century). Of course, there were picture cookies not only at Christmas time, but also on a variety of occasions. The wealth of motifs includes the courtly world, customs, love/marriage, flowers and plants, etc.

Der Weihnachtsgenuss von Adel & Bürgertum

The clients for the production of artistic baking molds were usually the city"s Lebzelt bakers. The fact that there have been several dynasties of gingerbread producers in Lienz since the 17th century is indicative of a tradition that goes back a long way; they enjoyed a high reputation far beyond the region. At that time, enjoying traditional pastries was a highly exclusive affair, reserved primarily for the upper bourgeoisie alongside the nobility.

Classic gingerbread production, i.e. the processing of honey and beeswax, came to East Tyrol via early modern monastic traditions. Influences from Mediterranean cuisine were also incorporated.

Die Kunsthistorikerin Renate Vergeiner (Univ. für Angewandte Kunst/Wien) hat sich intensiv mit der kulinarischen Geschichte der heute 12.000 Einwohner zählenden Bezirkshauptstadt am Fuße der Lienzer Dolomiten beschäftigt und vor Jahren ein „Alt-Lienzer Kochbuch“ mit Rezepten aus verschiedenen Jahrhunderten herausgegeben. Ihr Resümee: „Die Lienzer Küche zur Zeit der Görzer und Wolkensteiner Grafen war absolute 'Cuisine'. Man wusste zu leben!“

The rule of the Counts of Gorizia in the southern Alpine region, which reached as far as Italy, made Lienz an urban center that took over many things from other centers of the time in cultural and culinary matters. Thanks to extensive trade relationships, which also included imports of spices (saffron, etc.) from Italy and France, the culture of Lienz"s citizens always had an international orientation in addition to regional traditions. The names of some of the dishes bear witness to this. The “Alt-Lienz Cookbook” contains, among other things, an almond jelly recipe called “Plamischa”: this is obviously a colloquial spelling of the French “Blancmanger”.

Until today, the Lienzer Lebzelt is an expression of the cosmopolitan Lienz culinary tradition, in which sophisticated variety and regional roots go hand in hand!

Confectionery Glanzl

Gerhard Glanzl GmbH

Main Square 13

9900 Lienz

Tel .: 04852 - 62073

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Master Bakery Joast

Ernst Joast

Bürgeraustraße 20

9900 Lienz

Tel .: 04852 - 64525

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Bakery Gruber

Werner Gruber

Maximilianstraße 18

9900 Lienz

Tel .: 04852 - 62776

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