From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Leibniz-Keks or Choco Leibniz is a German brand of biscuit (or cookie in American English) produced by the Bahlsen food company since 1891.

Contents 1 Name 2 Leibniz-Keks 3 Choco Leibniz 4 Ingredients 5 References

The brand name Leibniz comes from the philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. The only connection between man and biscuit is that Leibniz was one of the more famous residents of Hanover, where the Bahlsen company is based. At the time when the biscuit was first made, there was a fashion for arbitrarily naming products after famous people (compare Mozartkugel).^[1].

The Leibniz-Keks is a plain butter biscuit, or Butterkeks as it is known in German, similar to the French petit beurre. The word Keks in Leibniz-Keks was originally a corruption of the English word "cakes" by Bahlsen. Due to the popularity of the Leibniz-Keks, Keks has since become the generic German word for a crunchy, sweet biscuit. The simple and easily recognizable design of the biscuit, with its serrated edge and the words "LEIBNIZ BUTTERKEKS", has been featured in a series of "Monuments of German Design" by the Süddeutsche Zeitung ^[2].

In addition to the plain biscuit, there are also chocolate-covered varieties, called Choco Leibniz. These are butter biscuits set in either dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or orange-flavoured chocolate. The dark chocolate brand is the most commonly sold, but the milk chocolate version sells better during promotions^[3]. The biscuit side has Bahlsen" and "Leibniz" printed on it, and the chocolate side has "Choco Leibniz" embossed on it.

Ingredients include sugar, wheatflour, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, whey products, glucose syrup, emulsifier, soya lecithin, whole milk powder, salt, raising agents, sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, and flavouring.

1. ^ Bahlsen products FAQ.
2. ^ Monuments of German Design, first published on 4 April 2003 in the Sueddeutsche Magazine No 14.
3. ^ Review of Choco Leibniz Orange.