You can tell it’s Christmas when kitchens smell like gingerbread. This unique mixture of flour, sugar, molasses and ginger, baked into a variety of shapes, has a long association with Christmas. But why?
To answer that question, we need to explore the history of gingerbread itself.
Where Does Ginger Come From?
Ginger, the signature ingredient in gingerbread, is the root of a plant found in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Ginger was known to the ancient Greeks. European soldiers also brought the spice back with them from the Crusades.
What is Gingerbread?
Ginger biscuits known as “fairings” were popular treats at Medieval fairs in France and England and were given as good luck to knights competing in tournaments.
Queen Elizabeth I often is credited with the creation of the first “gingerbread man”. According to Martha Stewart, Elizabeth “had her cooks mold the pastry into the shapes of her favorite courtiers and liked to give VIP guests ginger ‘biscuits’ that were edible caricatures.”
Gingerbread Houses
Although you could find gingerbread shaped into hearts, stars, babies and other figures, stories differ as to when people began making gingerbread houses. Some say the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel,” which describes a cottage decorated with sweets, inspired the first gingerbread house. Others say it was the custom of creating gingerbread houses that inspired the fabled witch’s house.
The standard gingerbread house consists of a structure with four gingerbread walls and a roof. Gingerbread slabs typically are “glued” together with icing and embellished with entirely edible decorations, including cookies, peppermints, hard candies, gumdrops and chocolates.
While those are the basic requirements, gingerbread houses can be extremely elaborate – and not all of them are houses. Gingerbread constructions also include churches, cabins, castles and many other types of structures.
Gingerbread Designs
The continued popularity of gingerbread has caused the style to be adopted in other Christmas decorations, including gingerbread Christmas ornaments, gingerbread nutcrackers and tabletop figures.
