Polish history enthusiasts have tracked down a centuries-old secret gingerbread recipe.
The town of Bardo was famous for its culinary delights when it belonged to Germany before World War II. But after 1945, the settlement was passed to Poland and its German residents expelled – including the bakers famed for their gingerbread.
The recipes were lost and the baking tradition forgotten. But recently, two locals discovered an intriguing photo. On it, a baker decorating one gingerbread and a little girl holding another. Their subsequent research found the recipes dated back to the late 1400’s and were secretly passed on only from father and son. The distinctive shapes emerged from wooden moulds, allowing for detailed pictures of gingerbread men along with views of the town.
Tomasz Karamon, history enthusiast:
"What fascinated us in this craft was not only this rich tradition dating back over 500 years, but the fact that in a tiny pilgrim town five or six gingerbread bakers and their families were living from this craft - the gingerbread bakers who travelled to Spain or France to get the ingredients or brought aromas from there and the gingerbread bakers who exported their products to the USA."
Following the historians’ discovery, the pair wanted to uncover more about the photograph that had first sparked their interest. The picture showed baking master Max Prause and his daughter Johanna. It took almost a year of checking old address books and internet research to locate the family, now living in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. There, they made a surprising discovery – Johanna, now 96-years old.
Tomasz Karamon, history enthusiast:
"It was a great surprise for them - after 70 years someone from Poland arrives and it appears the story is still alive in Poland, people are interested the in gingerbreads. The result of the visit was friendship. We became friends. Johanna and her family, her husband Johannes and their daughter gave us family documents - photos, papers, including most importantly the recipe for original Bardo gingerbreads."
Now, the Polish historians are organizing their first "Gingerbread Baking Meeting " in the hope that more traditions can be rediscovered and preserved for future generations.
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