May 1, 2019
The Big Pond #26: No Restraint – Berger Cookies and the City of Baltimore

A Box of Berger Cookies
© Katie Marquette

Over 200 years ago, German immigrant Henry Berger opened a bakery in East Baltimore – and since that day, Berger Cookies have been handmade in the city of Baltimore. Our producer Katie Marquette investigates this special, “unrestrained” cookie.

Berger Cookies are like the city of Baltimore: down-to-earth, charming, and showing absolutely no restraint. The amount of fudge on these slim vanilla wafers shocks and delights all who try the cookie for the first time. They have their origins with a German immigrant family, the Bergers. Henry Berger moved to the US in 1835 and soon opened a bakery in East Baltimore. While the Berger Cookie’s roots may be in Germany, the taste is unlike anything from its home country.

For The Big Pond, producer Katie Marquette interviews local Baltimoreans about what the cookie means to them, visits the Berger Bakery, and discusses proper tasting technique with a self-proclaimed Berger aficionado. Be warned: Listening to this episode may result in intense cravings.

Music: “Pianoman Play Sofa Again“ and “Pianoman is not Sam” by Lobo Loco, both licensed via CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

More Episodes

Top