Zurich’s Honey Tirggel

The Zurich Tirggel is an elegant cookie made from honey, ginger, aniseed, coriander, rosewater, and flour. It was first mentioned in writing back in the 15th century, at a time when the majority of people could not afford this specialty, with its costly ingredients. However, over the years the Tirggel has become particularly popular as a traditional treat eaten during the festive season or on feast days, and is generally made during the colder months of the year. Production runs at full capacity above all at Christmas and leading up to Sechseläuten.

Until 1840, only Zurich’s city bakers were allowed to make this sweet honey delicacy. However, with the introduction of free trade, before long bakers in rural areas started producing Tirggel, which led to fierce competition. This mainly concerned the creation of unusual and new motifs to decorate the cookies, which gave rise to a wide diversity of designs. This rich variety has remained to this day, and every Tirggel bakery is proud of its original wooden molds.