Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What country did gingerbread come from? ›

Food historians trace the origins of gingerbread back to the ancient Egyptians, who used it for ceremonial purposes. The ancient Greeks followed suit with the first known recipe for gingerbread around 2400 B.C.

Legend traces gingerbread men back to Queen Elizabeth I, who supposedly 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.

Elizabeth I of England surprised guests with “biscuits” that were designed in their likeness. Its association with the holiday season, which didn't come until later, is likely a practical one: Some people attribute the tradition to the weather, as ginger has a comforting way of warming the person who is eating it.

Gingerbread became widely available in the 18th century. Gingerbread came to the Americas with settlers from Europe.

​Superstitions about gingerbread flourished in the 17th century. Witches supposedly made gingerbread figures, ate them, and thereby caused the death of their enemies. Dutch magistrates went so far as to declare baking or eating molded cookies illegal.

Nuremberg was recognized as the "Gingerbread Capital of the World" when in the 1600s the guild started to employ master bakers and skilled workers to create complicated works of art from gingerbread. Medieval bakers used carved boards to create elaborate designs.

Research has also shown that it may improve dental hygiene, reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Similarly, nutmeg – another common ingredient in gingerbread – is associated with reduced inflammation and may benefit heart health.

Nearly 93% of all American households serve and enjoy cookies as treats or after meals. However, it's the chocolate chip cookie that's the most popular in the U.S. and around the world.

A Very Merry Gingerbread. Given gingerbread's connection to festive occasions like fairs it is perhaps not surprising that it should eventually become associated with Christmas.

Who wanted to eat The Gingerbread Man? ›

And so the gingerbread man continued to run, run, run until he arrived at a river. A fox came out from behind a tree and smiled at the gingerbread man. He wanted to eat the gingerbread man but had a clever plan.

When its usefulness as a preservative was discovered is unclear, but some food historians say that the first known recipe for gingerbread dates from around 2400 BC in Greece. Others trace its history to 992 AD, when Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis is thought to have taught Christian bakers in France how to make it.

TORUN, Poland — This medieval city on the banks of the Vistula River is known for two things: astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and gingerbread cookies. Copernicus was born here, although he would move as a student and live most of his life elsewhere.

Soft, moist and nutty German gingerbread was invented by medieval monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century. Lebkuchen bakers were recorded as early as 1296 in the city of Ulm and in 1395 in Nürnberg (Nuremberg).

Pierniki - the famous ginger spiced cookies that hail from Poland's medieval city of Toruń, have a history that is well over 700 years old! Because of its long-upheld tradition, Polish gingerbread has become a symbol of the city, famous not only all over Poland but also recognized all over the world!