Leipziger Lerche

#270 Eat - Leipziger Lerche (Lark). Named after a pastry tart that was originally made using larks (the songbirds). In the 18th century, Leipzig merchants hunted the lark, which was then roasted with herbs and eggs and served in a pastry crust. It became a controversial culinary specialty of the city and over 400,000 larks were hunted in October 1720 alone, before King Albert of Saxony banned lark hunting. A local baker came up with a sweet treat substitute, a marzipan-filled tart using pastry dough and ground almond. The two strips of dough simulate the string that tied the stuffed lark and a cherry inside to represent the heart. Result is a delicious local sweet treat with an interesting history!

#history #food #sweettreat