Gingerbread

Have you ever wondered why gingerbread is traditionally eaten during Christmas? According to ancient beliefs, Gingerbread is not just an ordinary popular snack; it is also considered a symbol of good luck on Christmas Day. In almost every European home, this sweet is consumed as a blessing, making it truly a confection born for Christmas.

Getting to Know Gingerbread

Gingerbread is considered one of the earliest and most popular Christmas cookies. Most often, we see it molded into various figures, containing a mix of spices such as ginger powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and honey or sugar. Its distinctive aroma and slightly spicy taste from ginger make this sweet a favorite for many.

History of Gingerbread

In 992 AD, an Armenian monk, who had settled in France, taught the method of making gingerbread to Christians. However, ginger was a rare spice in Europe at that time. It wasn't until the 11th century when Crusaders brought ginger back from China that it began to be widely cultivated across Europe. From then on, ginger became a more affordable spice for the general public, and the popularity of gingerbread-making also increased. Initially, European gingerbread was often shaped into angels and saints.

Later, in the 13th century, gingerbread became more widely known in many European countries, including England, Germany, Spain, Poland, and Sweden. Swedish nuns often baked gingerbread to help alleviate indigestion, as ginger was well-known for its medicinal properties.

In medieval Europe, gingerbread was a popular food at festivals, and special Gingerbread Fairs were even held. These fairs featured various forms of gingerbread, such as animal shapes, different flowers, and the highly popular human-shaped gingerbread (Gingerbread Man). Historical records show that these were first made during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England to be given to important figures.

As gingerbread gained more popularity, during every Christmas season, people began making gingerbread in iconic festive shapes, such as Santa Claus, reindeer, Christmas trees, and snowflakes. It was often served as the last dish after Christmas dinner, as it was believed that eating gingerbread after a meal would help aid digestion.

Gingerbread and Good Luck Beliefs

Europeans believe that you can make a wish with gingerbread. By placing a gingerbread cookie in your palm and making a wish, then pressing the center of the cookie with your right thumb. If the cookie breaks into three pieces, you must quickly eat it all without speaking to anyone, and your wish is believed to come true. Another belief is that unmarried English women would eat gingerbread to wish for a husband. Due to these various beliefs linked to good luck, gingerbread has become a popular sweet to consume for good fortune on Christmas Day.

Gingerbread Houses

The tradition of making Gingerbread Houses began in Germany in the early 1800s. The first person to create them was inspired by the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale, "Hansel and Gretel." The story recounts, Two children were abandoned in the forest and fell into the hands of a cannibalistic witch who lived in a house made of gingerbread, cake, and candy. The witch intended to fatten Hansel by feeding him gingerbread before eventually eating him. After this book was published, German bakers began baking gingerbread and shaping it into beautifully decorated houses, just like in the fairy tale. Eventually, these became widely popular during Christmas.