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The earliest form of gingerbread
can be traced to ceremonies performed by the ancient Greeks and
Egyptians. It wasn't until the 11th century that this sweet
treat was introduced to Europe by the crusaders when they returned
from the Middle East. It was considered a "rich folk" luxury
until ginger and other spices became more affordable for the common
people. That's when the popularity of gingerbread began to
grow.
During the 13th century,
gingerbread was brought to Sweden by German immigrants. Early
references from the Vadstena Abbey show how the Swedish nuns were
baking gingerbread to ease indigestion in 1444.
An early European recipe consisted
of ground almonds, stale breadcrumbs, rosewater, sugar and ginger.
But in the 16th century, English cooks improved the original heavy
batter by replacing breadcrumbs with flour and adding eggs and
sweeteners.
The first gingerbread man is
credited to Queen Elizabeth I. She presented visiting
dignitaries with cookies fashioned in their own likeness. From its
very beginning gingerbread has been a fairground delicacy. Many
fairs became known as "gingerbread fairs". There is also more
than one village tradition in England requiring unmarried women to
eat gingerbread "husbands" at the fair if they are to stand a good
chance of meeting a real husband.
Germany has the longest tradition
of baking flat-shaped gingerbreads. At every autumn fair in
Germany and in the surrounding Germanic lands, the booths are filled
with hundreds of ribboned gingerbread hearts decorated with white
and colored icing.
Gingerbread has changed
dramatically since then. Now days, gingerbread makes its most
impressive appearance at Christmas in the form of decorative and
edible houses. This tradition is far and away the most popular
in North America where its origins are rooted with the immigrant
settlers who brought family recipes and customs with them |
