The gingerbread heart: Sweet Oktoberfest tradition
Gingerbread is not only in great demand during Advent and Christmas, but also during Oktoberfest in Munich. Countless sizes and variations with declarations of love or typical Bavarian Grant slogans out of sugar writing hang on the stands in the Oktoberfest alleyways. Gustav Tschernich, who died in early 2019, is not entirely innocent of the sweet cult. He and his wife Herta gave the Wiesn heart its typical shape. The master confectioner also dispensed with the otherwise popular chocolate coating for gingerbread during deliveries to Wiesn dealers, in order to avoid smears on dirndl blouses and traditional shirts. The gingerbread itself is much older: The first written records of the related honey cake date back to 350 BC, while the modern-day variant with spices such as anise, cinnamon, and cardamom dates back to the 12th century in Dinant, Belgium. The gingerbread hearts decorated with sayings, however, are typical of Munich.