St. Margaretha Lebkuchen

History

Hildegard von Bingen is known for many things, from her knowledge in the art and practice of medicine and philosophy to her work as a prolific composer. In addition to all of these skills, she was also proficient in the kitchen and is certainly an inspiration for us liturgical cooks!

Her recipes have been recorded and compiled into books, and one such recipe she created in honor of St. Margaretha is called Margariten Lebkuchen, or Margaret gingerbread. This recipe we include below is inspired by Hildegard’s but adapted to accommodate more readily available ingredients. Chiefly, the main ingredient is traditionally spelt flour, which Hildegard chose for its special health benefits, but for anyone who happens to just have all-purpose flour on hand, we encourage you to still try the recipe or even to consider souring the flour first to add those extra health benefits!

If you recall from our post about St. Margaretha, she became popular after the Bubonic Plague, during which she and thirteen other saints were often invoked for health and relief. It was thought that their intercessions were especially effective. While we know that the saints pray for us, it should be said that our prayers should be directed to our Lord alone. Nevertheless, from that time we get the connection that inspired Hildegard von Bingen’s recipe for St. Margaretha as a health-conscious option.

St. Margaretha Lebkuchen

Ingredients

2 cups spelt, wheat, or all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream

¾ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cloves

2 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine sour cream, honey, spices, and flour in a bowl.
3. In a separate dish, mix together baking soda and milk and add into the other ingredients and combine until smooth.
4. Transfer the batter into a greased cake pan and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.