Germans fall out of love with Lebkuchen

Almost 102,500 tonnes of the gingerbread pastry was produced in 2009, but just 80,200 tonnes in 2012 – a fall of almost 22 percent.

With foreign exports of Lebkuchen remaining stable, the decline in consumption can be almost entirely accounted for Germans losing their appetite for the Christmas staple.

“In the last few years, the production of German Lebkuchen has decreased continuously. In the same period, foreign trade with Lebkuchen remained rather stable,” national statistics office Destatis said in a statement.

In 2012, almost 13,000 tonnes of Lebkuchen were exported. The main purchasers were Austria who took 3,400 tonnes.

And this week UK newspapers voiced fears the German gingerbread was overtaking British mince pies. 

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