Leipzig Lark with Persipan
The “Leipzig Lark” went down in the city’s history as the typical Leipzig pastry. The following is recorded in the City History Museum: In the 18th century, skylarks were one of the city’s culinary specialties. These little birds were caught in the meadows and baked with herbs and eggs.

It is unimaginable how many animals lost their lives in the process! It is known from 1720 that 404,340 larks were caught in the month of October alone. The wealthy Leipzig residents who bought this festive dish from the “lark women” in Salzgäßchen could hardly get enough of it. Hundreds of them were plucked immediately after being caught, individually wrapped in paper and often set off on a long journey in special boxes. But soon more and more bird lovers became outraged at this culinary delight. Finally, the Saxon king banned lark hunting in 1876.

Some clever bakers then compensated the sad gourmets with a different kind of treat. They created a sweet treat and called it the Lerche. They made a pastry from oven-fresh shortcrust pastry, almonds, nuts and strawberry jam, the smell of which alone surpassed everything. They also imitated the shape of the birds, even the cross bands used to tie the stuffed animals were made from dough. The Leipzig Lerche was born.

Leipzig Lerche are only still available in good bakeries today and, prepared according to old recipes, they are a delicacy for gourmets. It would be hard to imagine our Corso Konditorei without their production today. We hope we have given you a little insight into the history of this Leipzig speciality and wish you bon appetit!