Frankenmuth Historical

Association

613 South Main Street

Frankenmuth, Michigan  48734

Phone:  (989) 652-9701

Fax:  (989) 652-9390

Now Showing in the Leona Geyer Gallery:

KINDERPLATZ

 Kinderplatz is German for a Child’s Place. For 2008, the Leona Geyer Gallery will be a place where children of all ages can explore. Hands-on activities are combined with displays of artifacts from the museum collection. Each month a portion of the exhibit area will change:

Clothing & Toys   Henry Fischer's Souvenirs from Cuba     On October 10, 1898, Cuba first declared its independence after the Spanish-American War ended (formal independence was May 20, 1902).  Soon after that time, Theodore Fischer (Henry Fischer's father), and George Hubinger decided to go to Cuba to buy tobacco for cigars.  Fischer and Hubinger traveled by train to Florida then by ship to Cuba, under the protection of the U.S. Army, based at Guantanamo Bay.  Henry's outfit was purchased on this trip. His pride of possession was recorded by Wm. Stromer, soon after the photographer arrived in the Vassar-Frankenmuth area.

Frankenmuth Historical Museum Special Exhibit

I’ll be Home for Christmas

November 25, 2003 through January 31, 2004

Frankenmuth’s German (Fraenkisch) heritage survived best in cooking, language, and customs. While American traditions, such as Santa Claus, are most evident today, some of those early customs can still be found, if you know where to look.

As part of our exhibit, we have compiled this:

Frankenmuth Christmas Primer

Christkindlein

Pronounced grist’ kindla in Frankenmuth, the literal translation is Christ Child. Many Germans believe the Christkindlein angel helps the Christ Child by decorating the trees and bringing presents. Because it is an angel, it is invisible. Because the tree was located in the front parlor, a room that children entered only on special occasions, the decoration of the tree remained a mystery. In some houses, a treat was left for this angel on Christmas Eve.

Eisenkuechle

In English, Eisenkuechle (eye’zn-key-klee) are called rosettes. They are made by dipping irons with interesting shapes into batter, then into hot fat. The result is dusted with powdered sugar.

Dry ingredients:

1 ½ Cups flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/ teaspoon baking powder

Wet ingredients:

3 eggs
1 ½ Cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat eggs with milk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Heat lard and Crisco in a deep fryer to about 375-degrees F. Heat irons in fat then dip in batter, no more than ¾ depth of iron (or they will not come off the irons). Lower into hot fat and fry until light brown. Slip onto paper towels. When cold, dust with powdered sugar. Best eaten fresh.

Lebkuchen (Frankenmuth style, from FHA Heritage Cookbook V. III) ¹

Local Lebkuchen (leb’koo-kn) are honey-molasses cookies, soft and chewy. They are usually cut in diamond shapes or rectangles, using a cookie cutter or a jagging wheel. Each is decorated with a nut, either an almond or a walnut, and brushed with a glaze. The following recipe is from Irma Nuechterlein.

½ Cup honey
½ Cup molasses
¼ Cup shortening
½ stick butter
½ Cup sour cream
1 1/8 Cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
2 eggs (small)
4 ½ Cups flour

Combine all ingredients except flour and mix together well. Blend in flour. Let set in refrigerator overnight. Roll out and cut into shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350-degrees to 375-degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool a little before removing from pan. Store to let cure (flavor improves with age). NOTE: nuts or mixed candied fruit may also be added. Place a nut on the top of each cookie before baking.

Pelzenickel

The Pelzenickel is no Santa Claus. In the Frankenmuth area through the 1930s, men would dress up in long hide coats, papier-maché masks and dark hats. Children knew that if they had been good, the Pelzenickel would reward them with candy or peanuts, BUT if they admitted to being bad, they would be swept away in his bag and never be seen again. A few local parents were known to have used this to keep discipline through the year. In Rosstal, in the Mittelfranken region of Germany, his name is pronounced belzr-merdl. In Mittelfranken, on St. Martin’s Day (Nov. 11^th), his cart is pulled by a “Schimmel” (white) pony.

Scherenschnitt

Pronounced Sha’ron-shnit, this is the German folkart of cutting decorative designs from paper. Paper snowflakes and paper dolls are made the same way, creating a design by folding paper and cutting away some of it. The earliest German pieces date from the mid-1600s.

Springerle¹

Making a good springerle (shpring’r-lee) cookie is a skill and there are as many recipes as there are opinions on how these cookies should be made. They have a flaky crust and a light anise flavor, and the cookies are carefully baked so that they do not brown. 

Springerle boards and rolling pins are used to create the designs on the cookies. Local bakers prefer boards over rolling pins as it is easier to keep the pressure even. They look for boards with deeply-cut designs that make clear imprints. J. Christoph Nuechterlein (1851-1930) carved the board, in the photograph, according to family tradition. In 1851, shortly after his birth, he came with his family to Frankenmuth from Rosstal in the Mittelfranken region of Bavaria. The board was handed down through the generations: his wife Marie Frank, Marie’s sister “Aunt Kuni”, Christoph’s daughter-in-law, Mrs. Carl Nuechterlein, and Christoph’s great-granddaughter, Mrs. Edward Johansen (Kay Sue).

Some say that the designs date back to pre-Christian times when the cookies were a substitute for objects that would be sacrificed and therefore bore images of those objects.  Springerle boards may be carved with any variety of images, however, including Christmas symbols, fairy tales, and men at work. 

The following is Mrs. Henry Weiss’ recipe from the 1930s. At that time German was still spoken by many residents. A translation is provided in brackets. Note that there are no directions: recipes were only reminders of measurements. The anise seed sprinkled on the cookies before they are baked is also not listed in this recipe. Most bakers learned the techniques from their mothers and taught them to their daughters.

Springerli

8 Eier das gelbe vom 9ten, das Eiweiss mit eggbeater steif schlagen

[8 eggs + the yellow of a ninth, beaten with an eggbeater until stiff]

2 lb. Staubzucker, 1 Stunde ruehren.

[2 pounds powdered sugar, beaten 1 hour]

2 ½ lb. Mehl [2 ½ pounds flour]

1 Theeloef. gleichgestrichen Salretus (mit ruehren)

[1 level teaspoon Saleratus, well blended. Saleratus is sodium bicarbonate or baking powder.]

Stollen¹

These traditional Christmas breads are made in the shape of a flattened oblong loaf, representing the swaddled Christ Child. For convenience, most local bakers use bread pans. The sweet dough contains raisins, nuts, and candied fruit. In the traditional version, the dough is folded over a filling of sugar, butter, and nuts before baking. The top is frosted.

Weihnachtsbaum

According to one tradition, decorating Christmas trees started with Martin Luther. Germans brought the custom with them to America, making ornaments until they were available in stores.  The tree was kept in the front parlor as that room was kept cool and children knew they were not allowed in the parlor. Still, children’s curiosity led one mother to wrap the tree in a quilt and set a pair of boots underneath. She told her boys that the Pelzenickel (see above) was guarding the tree. A special German custom is the Voglein Weihnachtsbaum (foh’gline vy’nocks-baum, bird’s Christmas tree), a small tree decorated with edibles for the birds, such as fruit, grain, and pinecones covered with birdseed in suet. Through the 1930s, when most farms did not have electricity, local Christmas trees were decorated with candles as well as ornaments.  Decorative candle clips could be purchased at stores. These days, if candles are used on trees, they should not be lit.

Weihnachtsgottesdienst

Church services are the most important part of local Christmas celebrations.  The school children’s evening service has always been well attended.  Songs, such as Stille Nacht [Silent Night], can be sung by heart by many residents. Weihnachtsgottesdienst is pronounced vy-nocks-got’es-deenst.

Zuckerstickerly

Zuckerstickerly (zoo’kr-shti-kr-lee) are sugar cookies with decorator icing. They were cut in shapes using cookie cutters made by local tinsmiths.

¹Modern recipes of the following Christmas pastries are available in Frankenmuth Historical Association’s cookbooks.

Volume I: Gugelhupf cake, Bavarian nut slices, Stollen bread, Kaffeekuchen, Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars), Mandelschnitten (almond cookies), Kaffee Kringlas (coffee-flavored cookies), Theebroedchen (tea biscuits), Lebkuchen cookies, Springerle cookies, Pfeffernuesse (cookies with nuts & spices), Eisenkuechle, Apfel Strudel, and Blitz Torte.

Volume II: Stollen, Sachertorte, Springerle, Lebkuchen, and Pfeffernuesse.

Volume III: Lebkuchen, Springerle, Stollen, Gugelhupf cake, Murbeteig pastry, Apfelkuchen, Schnecken sweet rolls, and Teebroedchen.

Page Last Updated: 03/16/07

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613 South Main Street
Frankenmuth, Michigan 48734
(989) 652-9701

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