Gingerbread is a staple in households all around America during the holidays, both commercially and with families. It’s become a symbol of Christmas, many homes making traditions out of baking and building with the cookie. However, this sweet treat has been around since the first major civilizations. When it first started out as a paste made of spices and breadcrumbs, it wasn’t nearly as popular. 

The term “gingerbread” originates from England. It originally referred to preserved ginger, which then shifted to “a confection made of honey and spices”. Some alternative names were “spice bread”, “pepper cake”, and “sacrificial bread”. Nowadays, it can mean a variety of baked treats, from a soft cake to a thin, crunchy cookie. However, what all of them have in common is their unusual, almost spicy flavor coming from the ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon used inside. 

The earliest uses of gingerbread were for ceremonies in Ancient Egypt, flavoring ingredients in Greece, and medicinal properties in China. The recipe included breadcrumbs, almonds, sugar, rosewater, and ginger that could be mashed into a paste and hardened. In the 11th century, European explorers picked it up from the Middle East, and brought it back for the higher class aristocrats to use. The spices used in the recipe were expensive and hard to come by, which meant the cookie cost a lot of money, and was difficult to make. It became a way for the upper class to show off their wealth to each other. However, as prices decreased, the cookie also became popular with regular citizens. The gingerbread was often molded and decorated to look like various kings, queens, emperors, and even religious symbols. 

Flour, eggs, and sweeteners were added to the recipe in 16th century England, where Queen Elizabeth served “the first gingerbread man” with guests. Afterwards, the cookie was popularly sold at fairs, and traded between couples to express their love. 

In Germany, the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” was published in the 19th century by the brothers Grimm, and featured a cannibal witch who lived in a huge gingerbread house to lure in children. It popularized the practice of making gingerbread houses in Germany, (which they called “Lebkuchenhaus” or “Pfefferkuchenhaus”), decorated with foil and gold leaf around Christmas time. The tradition absolutely flourished when it was introduced in America. Because of their iconic taste and appearance, gingerbread men were commercialized and sold quickly around the holidays. 

This cookie continues to thrive today all over America and Europe. A national gingerbread house building contest is held every year in the U.S. with a prize of more than 7,000 dollars for the winner, and professional gingerbread makers hold house-building classes as opposed to a do-it-yourself kit one could purchase. Gingerbread men are featured as characters in movies and songs, and successfully marketed towards kids for holiday themed arts and crafts. Although not everyone enjoys their flavor, the spices can still be mixed with glue and hung up as an ornament with a cheerful scent, reminiscent of Christmas. Decorating and building with gingerbread every winter helps remind us of why it is so popular today, and where it originally came from. 

Sources: 

• https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/a-short-history-of-gingerbread/

• https://www.thespruceeats.com/the-history-of-gingerbread-1135954

• https://yummybazaar.com/blogs/blog/why-we-eat-gingerbread-at-christmas