Leibniz-Keks facts for kids
The Leibniz-Keks and Choco Leibniz are popular German-Polish biscuits. They are made by the Bahlsen food company. This company has been making these tasty treats since 1891. The Leibniz-Keks was first created to compete with a similar French biscuit called the Petit-Beurre.
What's in a Name?
The name Leibniz comes from a very famous German person. He was a philosopher and mathematician named Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. He lived from 1646 to 1716. The only reason the biscuit is named after him is that he was a well-known resident of Hanover. This is the city where the Bahlsen company is located. Back when the biscuit was first made, it was popular to name food items after famous historical figures. An example of this is the Mozartkugeln chocolate.
The original Leibniz-Keks is a plain butter biscuit. In German, this is called a Butterkeks. It was inspired by the French Petit-Beurre biscuit. That biscuit was made in 1886 by Lefèvre-Utile. The word Keks in Leibniz-Keks actually came from the English word "cakes". The founder of Bahlsen, Hermann Bahlsen, first called his product "cakes." But he found that German people often mispronounced the word. Because the Leibniz-Keks became so popular, Keks is now the common German word for biscuit.
Biscuit Design
The original Leibniz biscuit has a simple and special design. It is a rectangle with 52 "teeth" around its edge. The words "LEIBNIZ BUTTERKEKS" are pressed into the middle in capital letters. This design was created by Hermann Bahlsen in 1891.
There has been a fun discussion among biscuit fans about its shape. Some wondered if it was a square or a rectangle. The main designer of the biscuits has confirmed it is meant to be a square design. This biscuit has even been featured in a series called "Monuments of German Design" by the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Different Kinds of Leibniz Biscuits
Besides the classic Butterkeks, there are many other types of Leibniz biscuits available today.
- Choco Leibniz: These biscuits have a lot of chocolate on them. People often say they are "more chocolate than biscuit."
- Leibniz Milch & Honig: These biscuits have a taste of milk and honey.
- Leibniz Vollkorn: These are made with wholemeal flour.
- Leibniz Zoo: These biscuits come in fun animal shapes.
What's Inside?
The ingredients in Leibniz biscuits include sugar, wheat flour, and butter. For Choco Leibniz, there's also cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and whey products. Other common ingredients are glucose syrup, emulsifiers like soya lecithin, whole milk powder, salt, and raising agents like sodium bicarbonate. They also contain citric acid and flavouring.
