Aachen's Printen is a spiced gingerbread that has been made in the city since the Middle Ages, originally sweetened with honey and later with sugar beet syrup when Napoleon's continental blockade cut off the sugar trade. Every bakery in Aachen has its own recipe and guards it fiercely. The museum at Café Nobis on the Münsterplatz covers the history, mythology, and manufacture of the biscuit with tours and tastings.
There are several grades: soft and chewy Weichwecken, rock-hard Hartprinten that must be bitten sideways, and a semi-hard middle version. The spices vary by baker but always include a mix of cinnamon, anise, and clove. The museum is small and cheerfully promotional — it doubles as the café's shop — but it is genuinely informative about a local product that has been exported across Germany and Europe for centuries.