Where does the famous German marzipan come from?

Marzipan and Lübeck go together like Shakespeare and Stratford. Today, there are four marzipan manufacturers in the old German Hanseatic city. The most famous of which is Niederegger. The company is the epitome of the famous delicacy.

The sweet scent of almonds and chocolate is literally in the air outside the factory. Before entering the production hall, everyone has to disinfect their shoes and hands and put on a white coat and a hairnet.

A recipe for sweet success

Inside the factory, the almonds imported from Spain are steamed and shaken until the thick, brown skins fall off. Several employees sit along the assembly line and take bad or poorly peeled nuts off the conveyor belt. The almonds then roll along to the mixing scale. After that, the loud process of mixing, crushing and grinding begins. 

The basic recipe for making the raw mixture is simple: two-thirds almonds and one-third sugar. After that, no additional sugar is added to the raw mixture; many other manufacturers use up to 50% sugar. Importantly, Niederegger's products are considered "Lübecker Marzipan," or marzipan from Lübeck, a term to show where they are from and one protected by EU law.

The marzipan mass ends up in one of 20 rotating copper kettles where the almond and sugar mixture is slowly roasted. A hundred kilos of the granular mass are processed at a time and heated to around 90 degrees Celsius (190 degrees Fahrenheit) until the sugar crystals have melted. Many of the machines here were made over 50 years ago.

"The manufacturing process has remained unchanged for a long time. There is still a lot of manual work involved," company spokesperson Kathrin Gaebel explained during a tour.

The marzipan then mass goes to what they call the knitting room where a "little secret" is added to the raw mass, Gaebel said. She is not allowed to reveal any more details, but it is probably something similar to rosewater that gives the marzipan its unique taste. Only six people in the company know the exact recipe for Niederegger's biggest secret.

Important global connections and history

For a long time, marzipan was an expensive delicacy. That is until the beginning of the 19th century when it was discovered that it could be made with beet sugar instead of the more expensive cane sugar. That's why places like Lübeck, with its port and surrounding farmland, had an advantage.

At Niederegger, late summer is when production peaks. While tourists are still frolicking at the Baltic Sea or in outdoor pools, everything here revolves around Christmas. In addition to the 500 permanent employees, another 250 seasonal workers are added to keep up with demand for marzipan Santa Clauses and stars.

The family business has been going for over 200 years. In 1806, master confectioner Johann Georg Niederegger founded a marzipan factory, starting what would become one of the world's most renowned marzipan companies.

The confectioner, born in Ulm in 1777, came to the Hanseatic city in 1800, learned how to make marzipan and developed it further. Until the 18th century, marzipan was considered an exclusive elixir in Lübeck to be used as a medicine for stomach problems or to increase potency.

At that time "only pharmacists were allowed to make it," Gaebel said. "If you look at old recipe books, marzipan was good for a lot of things. It is mentioned as an aphrodisiac and even good for colds."

More secret ingredients along the way

Today, it is clear to nutritionists that any health benefits from marzipan come from the minerals in the almonds, like calcium, potassium and magnesium. They are also rich in vitamin B, which is good for concentration. Almond oil contains polyunsaturated fatty acids that lower cholesterol levels, too.

Marzipan's big disadvantages are its fat content and the tons of sugar that go into it.

Back at the factory, employees shovel the solid pulp into containers where it begins to steam. The mass is cooled with air and nitrogen and vacuum-packed into square blocks. Now the raw material is ready. The company can produce up to 30 tons of it on peak days.

Then it goes into cold storage for a a maturing process where the flavors continue to develop. How long? Well, Gaebel won't say, calling it another company secret.

From the cooling system, the raw marzipan mass goes to the next hall, where machines shape it into pies, bread loaves, stollen, stars, bars and cakes covered with chocolate. Finally, it is packaged.

From exclusive treat to mass production

While much of the production processes consist of manual work, the molding, chocolate coating and packaging are largely done by machines.

For special products, employees on one of the upper floors knock pieces of marzipan out of molds by hand and apply food coloring with brushes. Some Santas even get a hand-painted mouth, hat and sack of toys. To apply these special touches, "you need patience and a steady hand," according to Gaebel. 

The confectionery is exported to over 50 countries. However, 80% of production remains reserved for the German-speaking market. "Marzipan originally came from the Middle East. Now it is established primarily in Germany and Spain," Gaebel said.

Today, nearly 300 different products leave the Niederegger factory every week. Annual sales are said to be over €100 million ($109 million), though there are no official public figures. By the beginning of December, Christmas production is almost finished. But Valentine's Day and Easter are just around the corner and keep the factory busy.

Regardless of the shape or decoration, the marzipan recipe has remained the same since the beginning of the 19th century. Perhaps surprisingly, the original recipe is even displayed in a glass case in the Niederegger cafe in the city center. But don't get any ideas — the secret ingredients are listed on the back — safely out of sight.

This article was originally written in German.