The Gingerbread Heart – Lectovo srce
I received a lovely Christmas present from my relative, Borut Lenardič, who lives in Slovenia. He had writt en previously that he had gone to a Christmas fair in Ljubljana and purchased a gift. The gift was a beautifully decorated Gingerbread Heart made by “Perger” (founded in 1757 in Slovenj Gradec). This gingerbread heart is about 5.5 in. across and is beautifully decorated. The design is very intricate, done in the way cakes are decorated in America, but with a greater amount of detail and not one mistake! It is so perfect that one may think it was created by a computer or machine, but I doubt that it could be done by anyone except a skilled artist. My sister-in law decorates cakes and says that she could never even come close to creating the design.
The booklet by Perger that came with the heart says that the heart is made of a special honey dough which rests in an over 250-year-old barrel for at least 30 days before being used to make the cookies, making their shelf life in a dry place at least 50 years. How anyone would want to eat this work of art is unthinkable and it does say that it is not edible!
By Pat Gruden