Where to eat Bethmännchen in Frankfurt

A small dome of marzipan pressed with three almond halves, baked golden and eaten through Advent. Frankfurt's signature Christmas sweet, named for the Bethmann banking family.

The Bethmännchen is credited to the household of the Bethmann banking dynasty in the 19th century, its three almond halves said to represent the family's sons, with a fourth almond retired from the design after one son died. It became the defining sweet of the Frankfurt Christmas market, where stalls sell them by the paper bag beside hot apple wine, and Konditorei counters begin production in late autumn. The city treats the little marzipan domes with complete seriousness, and recipes pass through families like heirlooms.