Toruń gingerbread is a traditional Polish gingerbread that has been produced since the Middle Ages in the city of Toruń. Old Polish sayings are connected with Toruń's gingerbread-making, which started in the 13th century. Toruń holds an annual gingerbread celebration called Święto Piernika (the Gingerbread Festival).
The development of gingerbread-making in Toruń was greatly influenced by its excellent location. The area had high-quality soil that provided fine wheat for flour, and nearby villages supplied honey. The necessary spices were brought from distant countries, primarily India, through a trade route that went through the Black Sea and Lwów to the Holy Roman Empire. North-German trade companies transported the spices. Some spices also arrived by sea at the port of Danzig.
The first mention of Toruń gingerbread dates back to 1380 and refers to a local baker named Niclos Czana. The product quickly gained fame both in Poland and abroad. Toruń and the city of Nuremberg, known for its special pancakes, were eager to protect the secrets of their recipes from each other. Finally, in 1556, they reached an agreement allowing each city to bake the specialties of the other.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Toruń experienced a decline in baking and craftsmanship. By 1825, only three bakers were left. With the rise of capitalism, large companies took over from local craftsmen, leading to mass production of gingerbread.
The largest factory belonged to Gustav Weese, who continued a tradition dating back to 1763 when Johann Weese began baking gingerbread. Gustav Traugott Weese inherited a small workshop from his father Andreas in 1824 and expanded it into a large company. In 1913, Gustav Weese constructed a factory that employed over 500 workers after World War I. In January 1939, Gustav Weese sold the factory to the Polish company "Społem" and focused on his other gingerbread factory in Germany. The company in Toruń still exists today and is the oldest confectionery company in Poland and one of the oldest in the world.
There is also a gingerbread museum where visitors can participate in an interactive show to learn how to make traditional gingerbread. The show consists of two parts: first, visitors are shown how the dough was made in the Middle Ages, and then they make their own gingerbread using traditional baking molds. Throughout the show, visitors are guided by a master baker, a gingerbread witch, and other craftsmen. Visitors also have the opportunity to participate in flour production using millstones. The museum is an integral part of the living gingerbread tradition in Toruń.
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