Gingerbread

Gingerbread is a Christmas food across most of Europe, and each country does it differently.

Lambertz from Aachen makes the German kind — soft, spiced Lebkuchen shapes coated in milk chocolate. Nyåkers pepparkakor are the Swedish opposite: thin, snapping crisp, and heavy on ginger and cinnamon, traditionally eaten through Advent with glögg. And the gingerbread cookies with condensed milk filling are the Eastern European version, soft and generously filled, sold by the 500 g bag.

Worth buying early — these sell through December.