GINGERBREAD COOKIE, GERMANY

11TH CENTURY

 

OTHER NAMES: Gingersnaps

 

In Medieval England, the term gingerbread simply meant ‘preserved ginger.’ [1] It was an adaptation of the Old French “gingebras”, derived from the Latin name of the spice, Zingebar. [2]

 

Gingerbread can be referred to a cake, bread, or cookie. It can be soft or crisp, light or dark, sweet or spicy, all depending on the ingredients and preparations. [3] Gingerbread first appeared in Europe in the 11th century when crusaders brought ginger spice back from the Middle East for European cooks to experiment with. [4] By the end of the century, manufacture of gingerbread had spread throughout Western Europe. [5]

 

Recorded as early as 1296 in Ulm of Germany, Gingerbread was shaped into different forms by monks in Franconia, Germany. The first documented figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits were credited to Elizabeth I of England when she presented them to her valuable guests. [6] Gingerbread houses, Lebkuchenhaus or Pfefferkuchenhaus, originated in Germany during the 16th century, which became associated with Christmas tradition. [7] This “gingerbread house” tradition is still in practice around the world today.

 

Throughout Europe, Gingerbread became a symbolic food in many cultures too. In the medieval time, it was primarily a fairground delicacy throughout France, Germany, Holland and England. [8] In 15th-century Germany, where gingerbread was taken so seriously that one had to belong to a gingerbread guild in order to bake it. [9] In the 17th century, Gingerbread-making was eventually recognized as a profession in itself that only gingerbread bakers had the exclusive right to make it, except at Christmas and Easter. [10] In modern days, Nuremberg, Germany, known as the gingerbread capital of the world, gingerbread is still considered an art form there. [11]

 

BASIC INGREDIENTS:

Eggs, Butter, flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, sugar, molasses

 

Optional: flavoring, spice such as cardamom, anise, sweetener like brown sugar, honey, light or dark corn syrup