Anatomy of the Festive Chest

The Lebkuchen Schmidt Festive Chest is our best seller every year. And no wonder...it's a fabulously handsome gift packed full of great treats.

The 2015 Festive Chest has a newly designed motif on the outside of the metal chest. This year's chest is embossed with a view of Nuremberg including the Imperial Castle as it would have been seen in 1861 - "Nürnberg und Kaiserburg um 1861" as stated above the illustration.

I found this recent photograph of the skyline of Old Nuremberg with the Imperial Castle in the background:

In addition to the Lebkuchen and pastries the Festive Chest also includes a "printed tin plate" - which appears to be more a decorative item than a serving "plate". It is embossed with the illustration "The Apothecary" showing the chemist behind his counter preparing medicines for a customer.

As I have been researching the histories behind some of the German confections we carry here at Gingerbread World I have been struck by how many of the treats we enjoy today were created by pharmacists who created both for enjoyment and for health. And I found a wonderful article in a National Geographic magazine that explored the healing properties of herbs and spices and I was delighted that eight of the ten spices in Lebkuchen are considered "nature's best remedies".

The Festive Chest is so packed full of goodness tht even in big photos its hard to tell what's what inside that big chest. Here's a rundown of the treats inside:


In another Blog article I will look more closely at the cookies and pastries themselves - not just the packaging. And I thought it would be fascinating to track where each individual package goes after the Festive Chest is opened...the Stollen to Oma, the Speculatius to young niece Elizabeth, etc.!

We always love to hear your stories and opinions - leave a comment below or email us at info@gingerbread-world.com.

Tamara Roehr