Traditional cuisine: Latwersch (Plum purée)

Latwerge - or as they say in the Nahe region: Latwersche or Latwersch, is a purée made from plums or damsons with many different spices. Originally from the Palatinate, this sweet spread is a traditional dish in all parts of the Nahe region.

The mush has a very long history - it has been around since the Middle Ages.  In those days, latwerge was sipped with a spoon, mainly for medicinal reasons, to relieve minor ailments such as coughs and hoarseness. This is also where the word comes from: "Latwerge" means something that is licked up - as a medicine in the form of a solid porridge. So not only delicious but also healthy! 

We have Latwersch recipes for you from both the Nahe-Glan holiday region and Baumholder: Once with damsons and once with plums. The choice is yours!

Recipe with damsons from the Nahe-Glan holiday region

• 6 kg ripe damsons
• 4 sticks of cinnamon
• 1 vanilla pod
• 2 pinches of clove powder
• 2 pinches of cardamom
• 2 pinches of aniseed
• 3 star aniseed
• optional honey or sugar, as desired

Layer the washed and pitted plums together with the spices in a roasting tin and place in the oven at 180°C for four to six hours. Add a little water and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon so that nothing burns. The mixture should thicken to a dark, viscous, but spreadable consistency.

Now place on the cooker and stir well, removing the spices and seasoning to taste. You can also pass the latwerge through a food mill or purée it with a hand blender if you like.

Recipe with plums from Hotel Restaurant Zum Stern in Baumholder

• 2.5 kg ripe plums
• 1 small package of gelling sugar 2:1
• 1 sachet Latwerg spice
• 1 pinch of aniseed

Wash the plums (they should be nice and ripe), stone them & quarter them. Place in a large saucepan and mix with the sugar; the saucepan should not be more than half full. Let it stand overnight.

Add the spices, then place it on the cooker and let it simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and then. Then blend finely with a hand blender and chill again until the desired consistency is reached and no more fruit juice separates. Now fill the finished plum purée hot into jars, preferably to the brim, seal immediately and leave upside down for about 15 minutes - then turn over.

Tastes delicious on a buttered slice of fresh farmhouse bread.