The Colorful and Wonderful History of Ginger Bread
Are you fascinated by the wonderful and artistic designs of a ginger bread house? Do you want to know how it is made? Ginger breads have been around for many centuries. However, millions of people across Europe and North America still love to bake, eat, and design ginger breads.
The Original Recipe of Ginger Bread
It was not clear who baked or created the first ginger bread. However, the original recipe was composed of breadcrumbs, honey or any other type of sweetener, and of course, ginger. In the classical era, people were using natural preservatives to extend the shelf life of foods. They found out that ginger had strong preservative properties. So they used it for baking breads and eventually, the special ginger breads were created.
Throughout the centuries, the recipe evolved and many bakers modified it to suit their unique requirements. By the year 1400, a lot of bakers were already using flour as the base ingredient of the bread instead of the customary breadcrumbs. Molasses also took over as the favorite sweetening agent thus replacing the traditional honey. The structure of the bread radically diversified also. Some ginger bread varieties were sweeter than the others while modern bakers produce thicker biscuit-like variations.
The Creation of the Colorful Ginger Bread House
The first ginger bread figures were first designed in the 16th century during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. The figures resembled the images of men. They were then fondly called as gingerbread men.
The artistry of classical bakers also paved the way for the creation of scenic images. The images were carved originally in wood. Uncut dough were rolled and pressed into the wooden images. They then formed different scenes after baking the dough. It was possible that the first ginger bread house was also created during those times.
Queen Elizabeth was a very popular patron of the gingerbread men and figurines. She ordered the creation of artistically crafted ginger cookies.
The World Wide Popularity of Ginger Bread Creations
By the year 1812, the Brothers Grimm wrote the famous children’s story about Hansel and Gretel. It was a fascinating story about a witch who owned a ginger bread house. She kidnapped and fattened the children before eating them. Meanwhile, the captives subsisted on candies and munched the house that was built using ginger bread. The story gained wide attention throughout the world. It also started the global popularity of gingerbread houses especially in Germany.
Soon, the fabled houses made from gingerbreads became very popular in North America. The creatively designed houses were often seen during the Christmas holidays. However, artistic bakers also started creating special edition breads suitable for other occasions.
Today, a specially decorated ginger bread house is still a common fare during holidays. There are designs that are perfect for Valentines Day, Halloween, and Christmas. Although modern designs are now appearing in the market, the basic ingredients of gingerbreads remain the same. They are still wonderfully delicious and tasty. The modern designs are also more colorful, elaborate, and expertly crafted.
You can find more information about ginger bread,here on this site (in Swedish the term is Pepparkakor ).Additional info for ginger bread if you click here.
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