This season, it’s all about gingerbread
No dessert symbolizes
the holidays quite like gingerbread – and this traditional dessert has quite a
fascinating history!
According to Rhonda Massingham
Hart’s Making Gingerbread Houses, the first known recipe for
gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC. Chinese recipes were developed during
the 10th century and by the late Middle Ages, Europeans had their own version
of gingerbread. The hard cookies, sometimes gilded with gold leaf and shaped
like animals, kings and queens, were a staple at Medieval fairs in England,
France, Holland and Germany. Queen Elizabeth I is credited with the idea of
decorating the cookies in this fashion, after she had some made to resemble the
dignitaries visiting her court. Over time, some of these festivals came to be
known as Gingerbread Fairs, and the gingerbread cookies served there were known
as “fairings.” The shapes of the gingerbread changed with the season, including
flowers in the spring and birds in the fall. Elaborately decorated gingerbread
became synonymous with all things fancy and elegant in England.
Gingerbread was brought over to America with
English colonists. The first American cookbook, American Cookery
by Amelia Simmons, has recipes for three types of gingerbread, including
a softer version of gingerbread that was more common in America at the time.
Fast-forward a few
hundred years and you’ll find a wide variety of gingerbread desserts in our
bakery to help you celebrate the holiday season! They’re perfect for holiday
parties or just as a special treat for your family after dinner.
Giant
Gingerbread Cookie (AKA “Mr. Big”), available plain, decorated or with a
decorating kit
- Lunds &
Byerlys Gingerbread House Kit - Gingerbread Cookies
(6-count) - Our Bakery
Gingerbread Cake - Iced Ginger
Cookies (13-count) - Gourmet Ginger
Spice Gingerbread Cupcakes, filled with whipped cream - Eli’s
Gingerbread Cheesecake - McTavish
Shortbread Gingerbread Boys - Hanna Max
Ginger Gingerbread Cookies - Plus, look for
our gingerbread-themed December Cake of the Month!
To celebrate
everything gingerbread, our bakeries will be decked out with gingerbread men
hanging from the ceilings. Many of our stores will also feature gingerbread
lights and cookie cutters for sale. Look for the full-sized gingerbread photo
board – just pop your head through and take a photo. A fun idea for holiday
cards!
Bring your kids along
for your next shopping trip and have them search for the mini gingerbread boy
hiding somewhere in the bakery – his hiding spot changes daily, and if your
kids find him, they’ll win a cookie!
Source: PBS