by Gil Marks
Meanwhile, in the late 1980s, a kosher dairy in New York began producing its own American version of Israeli leben, which was similar in appearance to the products now extinct in Israel and came in the Israeli flavors of plain, strawberry, and chocolate. However, these products, which are still available today, are only replications of the Israeli version, not actual old-fashioned fermented leben—American leben contains various artificial stabilizers.
Lebkuchen
Lebkuchen is a soft cakelike cookie containing honey and spices.
Origin: Germany
Other names: braune kuchen, lebkukhes, lebzelt, lezelt, zelten.
Gingerbread had its origins in honey confections of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, European baking regressed. Meanwhile, medieval Arabs sought to produce a harmony of flavors in their food, incorporating a mix of spices, both those native to the Middle East as well as imported from the Orient. Following the First Crusade, international trade grew and, sparked by contact with Arabic culture, European cuisine gradually revived.
For centuries, most European baking advances orig- inated in Italy, including dense rudimentary honey cakes. These early cakes were commonly made from bread crumbs, which were often from rye bread rather than breads made with wheat flour. Eventually, through trade, monastic communities, and Jewish connections, these baked goods made their way north to Germany. Among non-Jews, much of medieval baking was for religious occasions and bore religious motifs, such as Osterlamm (Easter lamb). In the thirteenth century, the Italian panforte became a rudimentary Teutonic fruit-studded honey cake, called lebkuchen in southern and western Germany and Austria, probably from the Middle High German laib (loaf) or lebbe (sweet) and kuchen (cake); the term was first recorded in 1296.
Many monasteries maintained not only baking ovens, but also apiaries and orchards, which provided honey and walnuts for the baked goods. When these baked goods became widespread and monasteries were no longer capable of meeting demand, the cakes became the province of a guild, from which Jews were excluded. In 1473, the Lebzelter Guild was established in Munich, producing an assortment of cookies—including gebildegebäck, honiglebkuchen (honey cake), and springerle—as well as mead. Also at this time, Nuremberg in particular became noted for its honey production and the art of its lebkuchen, including the Elisenlebkuchen, containing ground hazelnuts and almonds and very little crumbs.
In the sixteenth century, a different version of this Teutonic confection emerged that was based on almonds instead of bread crumbs; the dish was called "white gingerbread" to distinguish it from "dark gingerbread." By the end of the seventeenth century, bakers of gingerbread increasingly began to substitute wheat flour for the bread crumbs that had been used since medieval times, resulting in lighter cakes and cookies. The advent of chemical leavenings in the eighteenth century led to even lighter lebkuchen. One of lebkuchen's attributes was that it could be stored for many weeks and actually improve in flavor as it stood.
There are numerous recipes for lebkuchen, but today all genuine versions contain honey and spices. Initially, Asian spices were rare and expensive and not part of German baking, but gradually they began to arrive by way of Venice, becoming an essential element of lebkuchen. Some bakers insist on adding ground ginger to lebkuchen, while others find it heretical.
By the fifteenth century, German Jews were enjoying homemade lebkuchen (avoiding the guilds). Rabbi Joseph ben Moses of Hoechstaedt, in his tome Leket Yosher (c. 1450), recorded that his teacher, Israel Isserlein, the foremost sage of fifteenth-century Germany, considered lezelt to be bread in regard to ritual hand washing and the benediction, unless spices were added, rendering it a cake. Lebkuchen, its pareve nature made it ideal for meat occasions, became traditional on Sukkot, because of the presence of fruits and nuts; on Rosh Hashanah, because of the honey; and on Hanukkah, because it was popular among non-Jews at that time of year. Alsatians used a firm version to make gingerbread men or other shapes for Purim. Lebkuchen crumbs were stirred into the cooking liquids of pot roasts, tongue, poached fish, and other dishes to thicken and flavor the gravy.
Lebkuchen was included in early American Jewish cookbooks, all written by German Jews, notably Aunt Babette's (Cincinnati, 1889); the first edition of The Settlement Cook Book (Milwaukee, 1901), which had two recipes for it; and The Neighborhood Cook Book by the Council of Jewish Women (Portland, Oregon, 1912).
Innovations in baking in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries engendered a host of new cakes and cookies, and also led to the disappearance of many of the old-fashioned German bakeries in America. The result was a dramatic decline in the popularity of medieval fare, in particular lebkuchen. Nevertheless, a small number of Ashkenazim retain a passion for this basic gingerbread.
(See also Kuchen and Lekach/Honig Lekach)
German Honey Spice Cookies (Lebkuchen)
about 25 large or 42 small bars
[PAREVE]
1 cup (12 ounces) honey, or ½ cup honey and ½ cup molasses
¾ cup (5.75 ounces) brown sugar
About 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, mace, or cardamom
2 small eggs, lightly beaten (about 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice, brandy, or whiskey
2 teaspoons grated lemon or orange zest (optional)
1½ cups (8 ounces) blanched almonds or hazelnuts, or ¾ cup each, finely chopped but not ground
½ to ¾ cup (3 to 4 ounces) finely diced candied citron, orange peel, or pineapple, or any combination
Icing:
1¼ cups confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or ½ teaspoon anise extract
1 to 2 tablespoons warm water
1. In a small saucepan, stir the honey and sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, optional ginger, and nutmeg. To the honey mixture, add the eggs, lemon juice, and, if using, zest and stir to combine. Mix in the nuts and fruit. Using a large wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature until malleable, about 40 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, or line with aluminum foil and lightly grease and dust with flour.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Using a large knife and dipping it in water occasionally when it gets sticky, or a pastry wheel, cut into about twenty-five 3-by-2-inch bars or about forty-two 2- by-1½-inch pieces. Place on the prepared baking sheets about ½ inch apart.
4. Bake the cookies until firm and lightly colored, about 25 minutes. Transfer the cookies a wire rack and let cool completely.
5. To make the icing: Stir together the sugar, vanilla, and enough water to make a spreadable icing. Spread over the cookies and let stand until firm.
6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months or in the freezer for up to 6 months. For softer cookies, place in an airtight container at room temperature with several apple slices.
Lecsó
Lecsó is a pepper and tomato ragout seasoned with paprika.
Origin: Hungary
Other names: Israel and Russia: lecho; Serbia: djuvece; Turkey: guvecs.
When the upscale Jewish family of Dr. Lajos Engel was deported from the small northern Hungarian town of Abaújszántó to a concentration camp in May 1944, among the items inventoried in their home and confiscated by the Hungarian government were "five bars of soap; one Persian mink coat; one lady's seal mink coat; one man's mink coat, one man's short mink coat; six Persian carpets; three Persian carp
et runners; six oil paintings; two jars of lecsó."
After peppers and tomatoes arrived in the Old World, they were disregarded by most Europeans, but found quick culinary acceptance among Turks, Arabs, and Sephardim, who commonly cooked the two vegetables together into a simple but flavorful ragout. The Ottomans introduced the idea to the Balkans during its occupation. The dish spread to its neighbors, in particular the Hungarians to the north, who naturally added some paprika.
Hungarians love peppers not only in the ground form of paprika, but also both fresh and cooked, in dishes subsumed under the category of paprikás egytálak (pepper dishes). Lecsó is among the most popular of Hungarian foods. It is made with sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions, and paprika, but from there on, the proportions differ from family to family. Some recipes call for only one variety of pepper, while others require two or three. The Hungarian sweet yellow pepper is the favorite.
Hungarians insist that lecsó must not be cooked in a hurry, but instead requires slow simmering to meld and develop the flavors. August through October is when peppers and tomatoes are at their best in Hungary and at that time families traditionally cooked up a large kettle of lecsó and canned it to last through the winter and spring. Lecsó is served, hot or cold, as a dip for bread or as a side dish with steaks, breaded veal, and noodles. Lecsó is mixed into scrambled eggs or used as an accompaniment to omelets, transforming the egg dishes—with the addition of potatoes or rice—into a complete light meal.
Hungarian Pepper Ragout (Lecsó)
8 to 10 servings as a side dish
[PAREVE]
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 pounds Hungarian sweet yellow peppers, sweet yellow banana peppers, Italian frying peppers, or any combination yellow and red bell peppers, seeded and cut into ½-inch-thick slices
2 to 3 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon hot paprika or cayenne (optional)
4 cups (24 ounces) peeled, seeded, and chopped plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
About 1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Ground black pepper to taste
About ¼ cup tomato puree or water (optional)
1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the peppers and sauté until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the paprika(s). Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper. Place over medium heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. If the vegetables have not released sufficient liquid, add the tomato puree.
3. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid if necessary, until the peppers are very tender and the mixture is thickened, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Leek
Leeks, a mild member of the onion family that resembles a large scallion, have oblong white bulbs and long, flattish, dark green leaves. This native of the eastern Mediterranean was among the most common of plants depicted in ancient Egypt, and their remains, dating back to the early Bronze Age, were found in Jericho. Leeks, one of the foods that the Israelites yearned for after leaving Egypt, have been a part of Jewish cooking from the onset. When cooked, they have a silky texture and subtle flavor.
The Romans loved leeks and sowed them throughout Europe. Charlemagne so cherished leeks that he ordered them planted throughout his realm, and, as a result, they held a prominent place in early Ashkenazic cooking, a position that later waned in eastern Europe. Among Sephardim, on the other hand, the leek was consistently the single most important vegetable; it was used solo or combined with other vegetables in soups, stews, casseroles, patties, and savory pastries. In the area encompassed by the Ottoman Empire, where this vegetable is associated with Sephardic cooking, leeks were also commonly paired with beans or rice. During occasional periods of severe poverty, the leek was the only regular vegetable on the Sephardic table.
Leeks have two growing seasons: Summer leeks, the milder type, come into maturity in early autumn, in time for Rosh Hashanah, while winter leeks, the more intensely flavored variety, are planted before the winter to be ready in the spring, in time for Passover. Consequently, leeks became traditional Sephardic Rosh Hashanah and Passover food. Leeks were among the items that the Talmud suggested eating on Rosh Hashanah, because their Aramaic name karti is the same as the Hebrew word "cut off," signifying the removal of all enemies.
(See also Albondiga, Fritada, Kefte, Mina, Quajado, and Sfoungato)
Lekach/Honig Lekach
Lekach is a honey cake.
Origin: Germany
Other names: lekekh, leykekh; Switzerland: laeckerli, leckerli; Ukraine: medianyk.
The earliest cakes probably consisted of cooked patties of mashed legumes and honey. The ancient Egyptians were the first people known to add honey to yeast dough to create a light cake. The Romans enjoyed baked loaves of barley gruel mixed with honey, raisins, pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds, as well as various cheesecakes with honey. Absorbing Roman and Middle Eastern culinary techniques, the Arabs spread these cakes west into Sicily and Moorish Spain. By the tenth century, sugar had replaced honey in baking in the Arab world, an evolutionary step that would not occur in Europe for many centuries. Meanwhile, the medieval European masses relied on barley, millet, and rye as the source for gruels and breads. Around the beginning of the eleventh century, Italians began making cakes from bread crumbs and honey and, as imports became available, spices, creating heavy loaves similar to panforte ("strong bread," referring to a rudimentary honey cake, the adjective strong denoting its intense amount of spices). These dense cakes were generally formed into the shape of bread and the rounds were baked directly on the floor of the oven or on a piece of parchment paper.
Taking on the typical Jewish role as a conduit for transmitting foods within different parts of medieval Europe and between the Arab and Christian worlds, Italian Jews brought rudimentary honey cakes made from bread crumbs to central and western Europe. Machzor Vitry, a late eleventh-century prayer book compiled by Simcha ben Samuel of Vitry, France (d. 1105), mentions "challot of fine flour with honey" an early honey cake. The first record of lekach (from the Middle High German lecke—"lick") appeared in Sefer ha-Rokeach (c. 1200) by Eleazar ben Judah of Worms, a city in southwest Germany. It was 1320 when honey cake was first mentioned in a non- Jewish Franco-German source, the records of a monastery. Honey cakes, including those pervaded with spices, which were known by the English as gingerbread, became the primary festive treat of medieval Europe.
Early Ashkenazic references to lekach were in conjunction with a popular medieval Ashkenazic ceremony, later called Aleph-Bazyn (from the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet). Ashkenazim found special significance in the Yiddish name for honey cake because of a verse in Proverbs: "For I give you good lekach [instruction/doctrine], do not forsake my teaching." At the initiatory appearance of a child at cheder (elementary school), usually on Shavuot (the day on which the Torah was given) or the first day of the month of Nisan (the first day of the Jewish calendar), he was escorted to the schoolhouse, covered by a tallith (prayer shawl). Honey was smeared on a slate containing the letters of the alphabet and the child licked them off so that the "words of the Torah may be sweet as honey." Afterwards, the aspiring scholar was presented with an apple, hard-boiled egg, and round honey cake inscribed on top with an appropriate biblical verse. Although by the eighteenth century, the formal and elaborate ceremony on Shavuot had disappeared, the custom of smearing honey on the letters of the alphabet endures among some groups until this day.
The current form of lekach or honig lekach is a product of centuries of evolution; the cake that finally emerged in the late nineteenth century was unrecognizable from its early ancestors. When lekach first appeared, spices in Europe were incredibly expensive. However, Europeans who could afford these luxury imports tended to make prodigal use of them in oste
ntatious rather than harmonious displays in all sorts of dishes. Medieval cakes of the upper class typically contained a combination of Asian spices (anise, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper), but at that point, rarely ginger. Beginning in the fifteenth century, spurred on by the Renaissance and the importation of Middle Eastern knowledge, European agricultural techniques underwent major improvements and eating habits began to change. Gradually, wheat emerged as the predominant grain in much of Europe, although until the sixteenth century, most European wheat was still imported, notably from Sicily and Egypt. Even after Europeans began cultivating their own wheat in larger amounts, the primary flour consisted of maslin, a natural mixture of wheat and rye grains, which was not conducive to refined baking. Meanwhile Spain, Portugal, France, Holland, and England were establishing colonies in the Americas and planting sugarcane in the Caribbean and Brazil. As a result, sugar and white flour became increasingly accessible and affordable in Europe.
By the end of the seventeenth century, bakers increasingly began to update the medieval recipe for honey cakes by adding eggs and oil and substituting wheat flour for the bread crumbs, resulting in lighter, more tender loaves. Sugar began to supplement or supplant the honey. By 1573, some English bakers were already replacing the honey or sugar in gingerbread with treacle (a by-product of sugar refinement like molasses, but lighter in color). The advent of alkaline chemical leavenings in the eighteenth century led to even lighter lekach. In the mid-nineteenth century, baking soda and, later, baking powder emerged as the principal chemical leavenings. The loose batter of these newfangled honey cakes could no longer be baked free-form, but required metal or wooden cake hoops (round rings, similar to the sides of springform pans, which were placed on flat pans) and metal baking tins, transforming the cakes into rectangles and rounds. In some parts of Eastern Europe (especially Bessarabia and Podolio), lekach was used as the generic word for cake or for sponge cake, while honey cake was donoted as honig lekach or honik leykekh.