HEIDELBERG, Germany – Love will find a way. On today’s shore excursion, I learned about the famous Heidelberg Student Kiss and even got to enjoy one.

The story goes that the Heidelberg Student Kiss is both a confection and a bit of fascinating history from the 1800s.

“Because of the big Heidelberg University, there were a lot of young men studying in the city. Young women went to finishing school here, too,” says cruise manager Réka Piros. “But parents didn’t welcome the attention from these young men to their daughters.”

In fact, sharp-eyed chaperones were usually on hand to discourage any flirtations between the two. “The young men and women had to content themselves with side glances and secret smiles,” Piros said.

However, one pastry chef at a popular café remembered what it was like to be a young man in love. A hopeless romantic, chef Fridolin Knösel at Café Knösel soon developed a chocolate delicacy called the Heidelberg Student Kiss. The sweet was a delicious chocolate praline nougat and thin wafers covered with a layer of chocolate.

“The young men could give the young women who caught their attention a delicious kiss, even if it was a candy one,” Piros said.

Given as a present, the Student Kiss was such a sweet token of affection that even stern-faced chaperones could not object. At last, the students and the young ladies had a discreet way to send a sweet message.

Although courting standards have changed since 1863, the Heidelberg Student Kiss is still made by descendants of Fridolin Knösel according to his original hand-crafted recipe. Café Knösel still exists and the chocolate shop at Haspelgasse 16 is just a short walk from the landmark Old Bridge in Heidelberg.

Story and photo by Jackie Sheckler Finch