LEBKUCHEN

or Sweet Cakes, or Honey Cakes, a famous group of German, cakes, composed of a great diversity of ingredients, the most important being flour, honey, sugar, spices, aleohol, almonds, citron, and orange peel. A characteristic feature of manufacture is that the dough is allowed to ‘‘rest’’ for a considerable time before haking, so as to permit a better amalgamation of the flavors and other properties of its components—many makers hold it in cool, dry places for several months before sending it to the ovens. The best known varieties are white lebkuchen, brown Jebkuchen, Bremen pepper-cake, Thorner lebkuchen, Baseler lebkuchen, and Niirnberger lebkuchen. Both imported and domestie lebkuchen are sold here, the principal demand being during the winter holidays. A well-made product will remain fresh for a year or eighteen months, the honey content keeping it moist.