Traditional Frankfurt Christmas Treats
Christmas time is marzipan time: Every year, the pastries Bethmännchen and Brenten are bestsellers at the Christmas market.
Frankfurt’s famous little pastries – Bethmännchen ( German for “a little Bethmann”) – are made of marzipan and are decorated with three almond halves. As they are usually only baked for Christmas they herald the Christmas season. Legend has it that they are named after Frankfurt's Bethmann banking family. Originally, the Bethmännchen were decorated with four almonds, supposedly one for each son of Simon Moritz von Bethmann. However, when one of the sons died, the fourth almond was removed.
Another famous treat is the Frankfurt Brenten, a traditional tea biscuit speciality that has been around since the Middle Ages. Even Johann Wolfgang von Goethe loved them. While recipes may differ in that no flour is used or added or that the sugar is replaced by honey, the basic ingredient remains the same, namely marzipan. Traditionally, the dough is shaped into small biscuits in wooden models and then baked in the oven. The top is usually imprinted with different patterns or comes decorated with almond halves. Nowadays, Frankfurter Brenten can be enjoyed especially during Christmas time.