Gingerbread house: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Gingerbread house with gumdrops.jpg|thumb|A typical store-bought gingerbread house]] | [[File:Gingerbread house with gumdrops.jpg|thumb|A typical store-bought gingerbread house]] | ||
A '''gingerbread house''' is a novelty [[confectionery]] shaped like a [[building]] that is made of cookie dough, cut and baked into appropriate components like [[wall]]s and [[roof]]ing. The usual base material is crisp [[gingerbread]], hence the name. Another type of model-making with gingerbread uses a boiled dough that can be [[ | A '''gingerbread house''' is a novelty [[confectionery]] shaped like a [[building]] that is made of cookie dough, cut and baked into appropriate components like [[wall]]s and [[roof]]ing. The usual base material is crisp [[gingerbread]], hence the name. Another type of model-making with gingerbread uses a boiled dough that can be [[Molding (process)|moulded]] like [[clay]] to form edible statuettes or other decorations. These houses, covered with a variety of [[candy|candies]] and [[icing (food)|icing]], are popular [[Christmas]] decorations. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
[[File:Stoitzner (attrib) Kirchweih.jpg|thumbnail|left|254px|Painting depicting gingerbread sold at the [[fair]]]] | [[File:Stoitzner (attrib) Kirchweih.jpg|thumbnail|left|254px|Painting depicting gingerbread sold at the [[fair]]]] | ||
Records of honey cakes can be traced to [[ancient Rome]].<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |title=Gingerbread |url=http://www.enotes.com/topics/gingerbread |publisher=enotes.com |access-date=10 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212065712/http://www.enotes.com/topics/gingerbread |archive-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> Food historians ratify that ginger has been seasoning foodstuffs and drinks since antiquity. It is believed gingerbread was first baked in Europe at the end of the 11th century, when returning [[crusaders]] brought back the custom of spicy bread from the [[Middle East]].<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web |last=Olver |first=Lynne |author-link=Lynne Olver |title=Traditional Christmas foods |url=http://www.cttg.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Traditional%20Christmas%20Foods.pdf |work=[[The Food Timeline]] |via=City of Tea Tree Gully |access-date=10 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213060304/http://www.cttg.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Traditional%20Christmas%20Foods.pdf |archive-date=13 December 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> Ginger was not only tasty, it had properties that helped preserve the bread. | Records of honey cakes can be traced to [[ancient Rome]].<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |title=Gingerbread |url=http://www.enotes.com/topics/gingerbread |publisher=enotes.com |access-date=10 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212065712/http://www.enotes.com/topics/gingerbread |archive-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> Food historians ratify that ginger has been seasoning foodstuffs and drinks since antiquity. It is believed gingerbread was first baked in Europe at the end of the 11th century, when returning [[crusaders]] brought back the custom of spicy bread from the [[Middle East]].<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web |last=Olver |first=Lynne |author-link=Lynne Olver |title=Traditional Christmas foods |url=http://www.cttg.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Traditional%20Christmas%20Foods.pdf |work=[[The Food Timeline]] |via=City of Tea Tree Gully |access-date=10 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213060304/http://www.cttg.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Traditional%20Christmas%20Foods.pdf |archive-date=13 December 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> Ginger was not only tasty, it had properties that helped preserve the bread. | ||
According to | According to French legend, gingerbread was brought to Europe in 992 by the [[Armenians|Armenian]] monk, later saint, Gregory of Nicopolis (Gregory Makar). He lived for seven years in [[Bondaroy]], France, near the town of [[Pithiviers]], where he taught gingerbread cooking to priests and other Christians. Gregory died in 999.<ref>{{citation |url=http://loiret.logishotels.com/notre-gastronomie/confreries-gastronomiques/confrerie-du-pain-depices.html |title=La Confrérie du Pain d'Epices |access-date=15 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215045710/http://loiret.logishotels.com/notre-gastronomie/confreries-gastronomiques/confrerie-du-pain-depices.html |archive-date=15 December 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="AutoFB-3">{{citation |url=http://morricone.cn/englishweb/engmaster/engmaster-011a.htm |title=Le Pithiviers |access-date=15 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212103448/http://morricone.cn/englishweb/engmaster/engmaster-011a.htm |archive-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.monastere-saintgregoire.net/fr/histoire/presentation-du-monastere.htm |title=Monastère orthodoxe des Saints Grégoire Armeanul et Martin le Seul |access-date=15 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110224346/http://www.monastere-saintgregoire.net/fr/histoire/presentation-du-monastere.htm |archive-date=10 January 2014 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> | ||
Gingerbread, | Gingerbread, in its modern form, descends from Medieval European culinary traditions. Gingerbread was also shaped into different forms by monks in [[Franconia]], Germany in the 13th century. ''[[Lebkuchen]]'' bakers are recorded as early as 1296 in [[Ulm]] and 1395 in [[Nuremberg]], [[Germany]]. Nuremberg was recognized as the "Gingerbread Capital of the World" when, in the 17th century, the guild started to employ master bakers and skilled workers to create complicated works of art from gingerbread.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> Medieval bakers used carved boards to create elaborate designs. During the 13th century, the custom spread across Europe. It was taken to Sweden in the 13th century by German immigrants; there are references from [[Vadstena Abbey]] of Swedish [[nun]]s baking gingerbread to ease indigestion in 1444.<ref>{{cite web |title= History and tradition |url= http://annas.se/?kollumsidor=history-tradition&lang=en |publisher= Annas Pepparkakor |access-date= 10 December 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131214152754/http://annas.se/?kollumsidor=history-tradition&lang=en |archive-date= 14 December 2013 |url-status= dead |df= dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pepparkakan och dess historia |url=http://www.danskan.se/historia/pepparkakans-historia |publisher=Danska Wienerbageriet |access-date=10 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902062542/http://danskan.se/historia/pepparkakans-historia |archive-date=2 September 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> The traditional sweetener is honey, used by the guild in Nuremberg. Spices used are [[ginger]], [[cinnamon]], [[cloves]], [[nutmeg]] and [[cardamom]]. | ||
Gingerbread [[figurine]]s date back to the 15th century, and figural biscuit-making was practised in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite book |title=300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles |last=Campbell Franklin |first= Linda |edition=4th |location=Iowa, Wisconsin |publisher= Krause |year=1997 |page=183 |isbn= 9780896891128 }}</ref> The first documented instance of [[Gingerbread man|figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits]] is from the court of [[Elizabeth I of England]] | Gingerbread [[figurine]]s date back to the 15th century, and figural biscuit-making was practised in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite book |title=300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles |last=Campbell Franklin |first= Linda |edition=4th |location=Iowa, Wisconsin |publisher= Krause |year=1997 |page=183 |isbn= 9780896891128 }}</ref> The first documented instance of [[Gingerbread man|figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits]] is from the court of [[Elizabeth I of England]], who had gingerbread figures made in the likeness of some of her important guests.<ref name="ref1">{{cite web |url= http://www.fergusonplarre.com.au/History/Gingerbread-Men.html |title=A History of Gingerbread Men |publisher= Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses |access-date= 13 November 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090913203533/http://www.fergusonplarre.com.au/History/Gingerbread-Men.html |archive-date=13 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
==History of gingerbread shaping== | ==History of gingerbread shaping== | ||
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The gingerbread bakers were gathered into professional baker guilds. In many European countries, gingerbread bakers were a distinct component of the bakers' guild. Gingerbread baking developed into an acknowledged profession. In the 17th century, only professional gingerbread bakers were permitted to bake gingerbread except at Christmas and Easter, when anyone was allowed to bake it.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> | The gingerbread bakers were gathered into professional baker guilds. In many European countries, gingerbread bakers were a distinct component of the bakers' guild. Gingerbread baking developed into an acknowledged profession. In the 17th century, only professional gingerbread bakers were permitted to bake gingerbread except at Christmas and Easter, when anyone was allowed to bake it.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> | ||
In Europe, gingerbreads were sold in special shops and at seasonal markets that sold sweets and gingerbread shaped as hearts, stars, soldiers, babies, riders, trumpets, swords, pistols and animals.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Gingerbread was especially sold outside churches on Sundays. Religious gingerbread reliefs were purchased for the particular religious events, such as Christmas and Easter. The decorated gingerbreads were given as presents to adults and children, or given as a love token, and bought particularly for weddings, where gingerbreads were distributed to the wedding guests.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> A gingerbread relief of the patron saint was frequently given as a gift on a person's [[name day]], the day of the saint associated with his or her given name.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> It was the custom to bake biscuits and paint them as window decorations. The most intricate gingerbreads were also embellished with iced patterns, often using colours | In Europe, gingerbreads were sold in special shops and at seasonal markets that sold sweets and gingerbread shaped as hearts, stars, soldiers, babies, riders, trumpets, swords, pistols and animals.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Gingerbread was especially sold outside churches on Sundays. Religious gingerbread reliefs were purchased for the particular religious events, such as Christmas and Easter. The decorated gingerbreads were given as presents to adults and children, or given as a love token, and bought particularly for weddings, where gingerbreads were distributed to the wedding guests.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> A gingerbread relief of the patron saint was frequently given as a gift on a person's [[name day]], the day of the saint associated with his or her given name.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> It was the custom to bake biscuits and paint them as window decorations. The most intricate gingerbreads were also embellished with iced patterns, often using colours and also gilded with [[gold leaf]].<ref name=autogenerated1b>{{Cite web |url=http://www.enotes.com/topics/gingerbread#sthash.6zGLP274.dpuf |title=Gingerbread (more) |access-date=7 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212065712/http://www.enotes.com/topics/gingerbread#sthash.6zGLP274.dpuf |archive-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gingerbread was also worn as a talisman in battle or as protection against evil spirits.<ref name="AutoFB-3"/> | ||
Gingerbread was a significant form of popular art in Europe;<ref name=autogenerated1 /> major centers of gingerbread mould carvings included [[Lyon]], Nuremberg, [[Pest (city)|Pest]], Prague, [[Pardubice]], [[Pulsnitz]], Ulm, and [[Toruń]]. Gingerbread moulds often displayed actual happenings, by portraying new rulers and their consorts, for example. Substantial mould collections are held at the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń, [[Poland]] and the Bread Museum in Ulm, Germany. During the winter months, medieval gingerbread pastries, usually dipped in wine or other alcoholic beverages, were consumed. In America, the German-speaking communities of Pennsylvania and Maryland continued this tradition until the early 20th century.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> The tradition survived in colonial North America, where the pastries were baked as [[ginger snap]] cookies and gained favour as Christmas tree decorations.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> | Gingerbread was a significant form of popular art in Europe;<ref name=autogenerated1 /> major centers of gingerbread mould carvings included [[Lyon]], Nuremberg, [[Pest (city)|Pest]], Prague, [[Pardubice]], [[Pulsnitz]], Ulm, and [[Toruń]]. Gingerbread moulds often displayed actual happenings, by portraying new rulers and their consorts, for example. Substantial mould collections are held at the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń, [[Poland]] and the Bread Museum in Ulm, Germany. During the winter months, medieval gingerbread pastries, usually dipped in wine or other alcoholic beverages, were consumed. In America, the German-speaking communities of Pennsylvania and Maryland continued this tradition until the early 20th century.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> The tradition survived in colonial North America, where the pastries were baked as [[ginger snap]] cookies and gained favour as Christmas tree decorations.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> | ||
The tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses started in Germany in the early 1800s. According to certain researchers, the first gingerbread houses were the result of the well-known [[Brothers | The tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses started in Germany in the early 1800s. According to certain researchers, the first gingerbread houses were the result of the well-known [[Brothers Grimm]] fairy tale "[[Hansel and Gretel]]",<ref name=autogenerated2 /> in which the two children abandoned in the forest come across an edible house made of bread with sugar decorations. After this book was published, German bakers began baking ornamented fairy-tale houses of [[lebkuchen]] (gingerbread). These became popular during Christmas, a tradition that came to America with Pennsylvanian German immigrants.<ref>"Holiday Tradition with Spicy History". ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. 9 December 2001 (p. N-9).</ref> According to other food historians, the Grimm brothers were speaking about something that already existed.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> | ||
==Modern times== | ==Modern times== | ||
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[[File:Replica of the White House made of gingerbread and white chocolate.jpg|thumb|Replica of the [[White House]] made of gingerbread and white chocolate]] | [[File:Replica of the White House made of gingerbread and white chocolate.jpg|thumb|Replica of the [[White House]] made of gingerbread and white chocolate]] | ||
{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage =[[File:Holidays at the white house - building the 2013 gingerbread white house 1.webmhd.webm|188px]] | video1 =[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/share/gingerbread-white-house MP.4 version] 1:49, Building the [[White House]] gingerbread house, 2013}} | {{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage =[[File:Holidays at the white house - building the 2013 gingerbread white house 1.webmhd.webm|188px]] | video1 =[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/share/gingerbread-white-house MP.4 version] 1:49, Building the [[White House]] gingerbread house, 2013}} | ||
In modern times, the tradition has continued in certain places in Europe. In Germany, Christmas markets sell decorated gingerbread before Christmas. | In modern times, the tradition has continued in certain places in Europe. In Germany, Christmas markets sell decorated gingerbread before Christmas. ''Lebkuchenhaus'' or ''Pfefferkuchenhaus'' are the German terms for a gingerbread house. Making gingerbread houses is a Christmas tradition in many families. They are typically made before Christmas using pieces of baked gingerbread dough assembled with melted sugar. The roof 'tiles' can consist of frosting or candy. The gingerbread house yard is usually decorated with icing to represent snow.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brones |first=Anna |title=The Magic of Swedish Gingerbread Cookies |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-brones/gingerbread-cookies-recipe_b_1137546.html |publisher=Huffington Post |access-date=14 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219172729/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-brones/gingerbread-cookies-recipe_b_1137546.html |archive-date=19 December 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> | ||
A gingerbread house does not have to be an actual house, although it is the most common. It can be anything from a castle to a small cabin, or another kind of building, such as a church, an art museum,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/gingerbread-architecture-photos_n_4375744.html |title=Gingerbread Architecture Makes Normal Gingerbread Houses Look Pathetic |publisher=Huffington Post |date=3 December 2013 }}</ref> or a sports stadium,<ref name=town/> and other items, such as cars, [[Gingerbread man|gingerbread men]] and gingerbread women, can be made of gingerbread dough.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.coop.se/Global/Recept%20och%20mat/Mat%20f%C3%B6r%20alla%20tillf%C3%A4llen/Helger/Jul/pdf/Pepparkakshus_alla.pdf |title=Gingerbread model houses COOP |access-date=8 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216061553/http://www.coop.se/Global/Recept%20och%20mat/Mat%20f%C3%B6r%20alla%20tillf%C3%A4llen/Helger/Jul/pdf/Pepparkakshus_alla.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> | A gingerbread house does not have to be an actual house, although it is the most common. It can be anything from a castle to a small cabin, or another kind of building, such as a church, an art museum,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/gingerbread-architecture-photos_n_4375744.html |title=Gingerbread Architecture Makes Normal Gingerbread Houses Look Pathetic |publisher=Huffington Post |date=3 December 2013 }}</ref> or a sports stadium,<ref name=town/> and other items, such as cars, [[Gingerbread man|gingerbread men]] and gingerbread women, can be made of gingerbread dough.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.coop.se/Global/Recept%20och%20mat/Mat%20f%C3%B6r%20alla%20tillf%C3%A4llen/Helger/Jul/pdf/Pepparkakshus_alla.pdf |title=Gingerbread model houses COOP |access-date=8 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216061553/http://www.coop.se/Global/Recept%20och%20mat/Mat%20f%C3%B6r%20alla%20tillf%C3%A4llen/Helger/Jul/pdf/Pepparkakshus_alla.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> | ||
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==Guinness World records== | ==Guinness World records== | ||
[[File:LA2 Milda pepparkakshus 2009 framsida.jpg|thumb|A full-scale gingerbread house as a Christmas decoration in [[Stockholm]], 2009 (It was made of {{cvt|294|kg}} flour, {{cvt|92|kg}} margarine, {{cvt|100.4|kg}} sugar, {{cvt|66.3|L}} Golden syrup, {{cvt|2.2|kg}} each of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and {{cvt|3.7|kg}} baking powder.<ref>{{cite sign |title= List and amount of ingredients used |url= https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LA2_Milda_pepparkakshus_2009_baksida.jpg |year=2009 |location= Stockholm |type=sign at rear of gingerbread house}}</ref>)]] | [[File:LA2 Milda pepparkakshus 2009 framsida.jpg|thumb|A full-scale gingerbread house as a Christmas decoration in [[Stockholm]], 2009 (It was made of {{cvt|294|kg}} flour, {{cvt|92|kg}} margarine, {{cvt|100.4|kg}} sugar, {{cvt|66.3|L}} Golden syrup, {{cvt|2.2|kg}} each of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and {{cvt|3.7|kg}} baking powder.<ref>{{cite sign |title= List and amount of ingredients used |url= https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LA2_Milda_pepparkakshus_2009_baksida.jpg |year=2009 |location= Stockholm |type=sign at rear of gingerbread house}}</ref>)]] | ||
In 2013, a group in [[Bryan, Texas]], US, broke the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness World Record]] set the previous year for the largest gingerbread house, with a {{convert|2520|sqft|m2|adj=on}} edible-walled house in aid of a hospital trauma centre.<ref name="Reuters" /> The gingerbread house had an estimated calorific value exceeding 35.8 million and ingredients included {{convert|2925|lb|kg}} of brown sugar, {{convert|1800|lb|kg}} of butter, 7,200 eggs and {{convert|7200|lb|kg}} of general purpose flour.<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-christmas-gingerbread-idUSBRE9B50YQ20131206 | title=With nearly a ton of butter, Texas gingerbread house sets record | publisher=Texas A &M University / Reuters | date=6 December 2013 | last=Herskovitz | first=Jon}}</ref> | In 2013, a group in [[Bryan, Texas]], US, broke the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness World Record]] set the previous year for the largest gingerbread house, with a {{convert|2520|sqft|m2|adj=on}} edible-walled house in aid of a hospital trauma centre.<ref name="Reuters" /> The gingerbread house had an estimated calorific value exceeding 35.8 million and ingredients included {{convert|2925|lb|kg}} of brown sugar, {{convert|1800|lb|kg}} of butter, 7,200 eggs and {{convert|7200|lb|kg}} of general purpose flour.<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-christmas-gingerbread-idUSBRE9B50YQ20131206 | title=With nearly a ton of butter, Texas gingerbread house sets record | publisher=Texas A &M University / Reuters | date=6 December 2013 | last=Herskovitz | first=Jon}}</ref> As of 2025, this record was since broken by a 44,838 cubic foot gingerbread house modeled after [[Home Alone]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Disney+ and Hulu celebrate Home Alone anniversary with Guinness World Record gingerbread house |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/disney-and-hulu-celebrate-home-alone-anniversary-with-guinness-world-record-gingerbread-house/ar-AA1SGpFo |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=www.msn.com}}</ref> | ||
The executive sous-chef at the [[New York Marriott Marquis]] hotel, Jon Lovitch, broke the record for the largest gingerbread village with 135 residential and 22 commercial buildings, and cable cars and a train also made of gingerbread.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/food/largest_gingerbread_village_Chef_Jon_Lovitch_breaks_Guinness_World_Records_record_213628.html |title=Largest gingerbread village: Chef Jon Lovitch breaks Guinness World Records' record |publisher=World Record Academy |date=3 December 2013 }}</ref> It was displayed at the New York Hall of Science. Another contender from Bergen, Norway made a gingerbread town called ''Pepperkakebyen.''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=Antonia|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/dec/22/a-brief-history-of-the-gingerbread-house|title=A brief history of the gingerbread house|date=2018-12-22|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-03-27|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> | The executive sous-chef at the [[New York Marriott Marquis]] hotel, Jon Lovitch, broke the record for the largest gingerbread village with 135 residential and 22 commercial buildings, and cable cars and a train also made of gingerbread.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/food/largest_gingerbread_village_Chef_Jon_Lovitch_breaks_Guinness_World_Records_record_213628.html |title=Largest gingerbread village: Chef Jon Lovitch breaks Guinness World Records' record |publisher=World Record Academy |date=3 December 2013 }}</ref> It was displayed at the New York Hall of Science. Another contender from Bergen, Norway made a gingerbread town called ''Pepperkakebyen.''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=Antonia|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/dec/22/a-brief-history-of-the-gingerbread-house|title=A brief history of the gingerbread house|date=2018-12-22|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-03-27|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> | ||
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[[Category:Articles containing video clips]] | [[Category:Articles containing video clips]] | ||
[[Category:Ginger desserts]] | [[Category:Ginger desserts]] | ||
[[Category:Food for children]] | |||
Latest revision as of 19:52, 29 December 2025
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "about".
A gingerbread house is a novelty confectionery shaped like a building that is made of cookie dough, cut and baked into appropriate components like walls and roofing. The usual base material is crisp gingerbread, hence the name. Another type of model-making with gingerbread uses a boiled dough that can be moulded like clay to form edible statuettes or other decorations. These houses, covered with a variety of candies and icing, are popular Christmas decorations.
History
_Kirchweih.jpg){kind=link}
Records of honey cakes can be traced to ancient Rome.[1] Food historians ratify that ginger has been seasoning foodstuffs and drinks since antiquity. It is believed gingerbread was first baked in Europe at the end of the 11th century, when returning crusaders brought back the custom of spicy bread from the Middle East.[2] Ginger was not only tasty, it had properties that helped preserve the bread. According to French legend, gingerbread was brought to Europe in 992 by the Armenian monk, later saint, Gregory of Nicopolis (Gregory Makar). He lived for seven years in Bondaroy, France, near the town of Pithiviers, where he taught gingerbread cooking to priests and other Christians. Gregory died in 999.[3][4][5]
Gingerbread, in its modern form, descends from Medieval European culinary traditions. Gingerbread was also shaped into different forms by monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century. Lebkuchen bakers are recorded as early as 1296 in Ulm and 1395 in Nuremberg, Germany. Nuremberg was recognized as the "Gingerbread Capital of the World" when, in the 17th century, the guild started to employ master bakers and skilled workers to create complicated works of art from gingerbread.[2] Medieval bakers used carved boards to create elaborate designs. During the 13th century, the custom spread across Europe. It was taken to Sweden in the 13th century by German immigrants; there are references from Vadstena Abbey of Swedish nuns baking gingerbread to ease indigestion in 1444.[6][7] The traditional sweetener is honey, used by the guild in Nuremberg. Spices used are ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom. Gingerbread figurines date back to the 15th century, and figural biscuit-making was practised in the 16th century.[8] The first documented instance of figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits is from the court of Elizabeth I of England, who had gingerbread figures made in the likeness of some of her important guests.[9]
History of gingerbread shaping
The gingerbread bakers were gathered into professional baker guilds. In many European countries, gingerbread bakers were a distinct component of the bakers' guild. Gingerbread baking developed into an acknowledged profession. In the 17th century, only professional gingerbread bakers were permitted to bake gingerbread except at Christmas and Easter, when anyone was allowed to bake it.[2]
In Europe, gingerbreads were sold in special shops and at seasonal markets that sold sweets and gingerbread shaped as hearts, stars, soldiers, babies, riders, trumpets, swords, pistols and animals.[1] Gingerbread was especially sold outside churches on Sundays. Religious gingerbread reliefs were purchased for the particular religious events, such as Christmas and Easter. The decorated gingerbreads were given as presents to adults and children, or given as a love token, and bought particularly for weddings, where gingerbreads were distributed to the wedding guests.[1] A gingerbread relief of the patron saint was frequently given as a gift on a person's name day, the day of the saint associated with his or her given name.[1] It was the custom to bake biscuits and paint them as window decorations. The most intricate gingerbreads were also embellished with iced patterns, often using colours and also gilded with gold leaf.[10] Gingerbread was also worn as a talisman in battle or as protection against evil spirits.[4]
Gingerbread was a significant form of popular art in Europe;[1] major centers of gingerbread mould carvings included Lyon, Nuremberg, Pest, Prague, Pardubice, Pulsnitz, Ulm, and Toruń. Gingerbread moulds often displayed actual happenings, by portraying new rulers and their consorts, for example. Substantial mould collections are held at the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń, Poland and the Bread Museum in Ulm, Germany. During the winter months, medieval gingerbread pastries, usually dipped in wine or other alcoholic beverages, were consumed. In America, the German-speaking communities of Pennsylvania and Maryland continued this tradition until the early 20th century.[1] The tradition survived in colonial North America, where the pastries were baked as ginger snap cookies and gained favour as Christmas tree decorations.[1]
The tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses started in Germany in the early 1800s. According to certain researchers, the first gingerbread houses were the result of the well-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel",[2] in which the two children abandoned in the forest come across an edible house made of bread with sugar decorations. After this book was published, German bakers began baking ornamented fairy-tale houses of lebkuchen (gingerbread). These became popular during Christmas, a tradition that came to America with Pennsylvanian German immigrants.[11] According to other food historians, the Grimm brothers were speaking about something that already existed.[2]
Modern times
Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". In modern times, the tradition has continued in certain places in Europe. In Germany, Christmas markets sell decorated gingerbread before Christmas. Lebkuchenhaus or Pfefferkuchenhaus are the German terms for a gingerbread house. Making gingerbread houses is a Christmas tradition in many families. They are typically made before Christmas using pieces of baked gingerbread dough assembled with melted sugar. The roof 'tiles' can consist of frosting or candy. The gingerbread house yard is usually decorated with icing to represent snow.[12]
A gingerbread house does not have to be an actual house, although it is the most common. It can be anything from a castle to a small cabin, or another kind of building, such as a church, an art museum,[13] or a sports stadium,[14] and other items, such as cars, gingerbread men and gingerbread women, can be made of gingerbread dough.[15]
In most cases, royal icing is used as an adhesive to secure the main parts of the house, as it can be made quickly and forms a secure bond when set.
In Sweden, gingerbread houses are prepared on Saint Lucy's Day.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Since 1991, the people of Bergen, Norway, have built a city of gingerbread houses each year before Christmas. Named Pepperkakebyen (Norwegian for "the gingerbread village"), it is claimed to be the world's largest such city.[16] Every child under the age of 12 can make their own house at no cost with the help of their parents. In 2009, the gingerbread city was destroyed in an act of vandalism.[17] A group of building design, construction, and sales professionals in Washington, D.C., also collaborate on a themed "Gingertown" every year.[14]
In the United States, the National Gingerbread House Competition began in 1992 at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina.[18] In San Francisco, the Fairmont and St. Francis hotels display rival gingerbread houses during the Christmas season.[19]
Guinness World records
In 2013, a group in Bryan, Texas, US, broke the Guinness World Record set the previous year for the largest gingerbread house, with a Script error: No such module "convert". edible-walled house in aid of a hospital trauma centre.[21] The gingerbread house had an estimated calorific value exceeding 35.8 million and ingredients included Script error: No such module "convert". of brown sugar, Script error: No such module "convert". of butter, 7,200 eggs and Script error: No such module "convert". of general purpose flour.[21] As of 2025, this record was since broken by a 44,838 cubic foot gingerbread house modeled after Home Alone.[22]
The executive sous-chef at the New York Marriott Marquis hotel, Jon Lovitch, broke the record for the largest gingerbread village with 135 residential and 22 commercial buildings, and cable cars and a train also made of gingerbread.[23] It was displayed at the New York Hall of Science. Another contender from Bergen, Norway made a gingerbread town called Pepperkakebyen.[24]
Gallery
- Gingerbread houses
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Gingerbread house with candy
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A gingerbread house with clock and candy decorations
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Christmas gingerbread house kit
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Gingerbread house with double doors
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Gingerbread house with steps and trees
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Gingerbread house with path
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Gingerbread house with lighting
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Gingerbread house with snowman
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Gingerbread ship
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Gingerbread house as a Christmas Eve decoration
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Gingerbread houses with Christmas tree
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Gingerbread village with model trains
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Gingerbread house and Elizabeth Tower in London, United Kingdom
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See also
References
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- ↑ "Holiday Tradition with Spicy History". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 9 December 2001 (p. N-9).
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Further reading
- Weaver, William Woys – The Christmas Cook, Three Centuries of American Yuletide Sweets.
- Eliza Leslie Miss Leslie's New Cookery Book – The Original Classic Edition Miss Leslie's New Cookery Book, online
External links
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