The Long and Sometimes Strange History of Gingerbread

Gingerbread has been around for a very long time, and this ancient treat has been thought to be medicinal, lucky, romantic, magical, and even evil. Here are some highlights from the long and sometimes strange history of gingerbread.

According to some food historians, the first recipe for gingerbread dates to 2400 BC Greece. Some believe gingerbread was introduced to Western Europe in 992 AD, when the Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis moved to France from Greece and taught Christian bakers how to make it.

Gingerbread became a popular treat at festivals in medieval Europe. Gingerbread fairs were held in France and England, where gingerbread was bought and exchanged as a love token. People also ate gingerbread to spark some desired outcome in their lives. Heart-shaped gingerbread cookies were eaten by those searching for love or wanting to ward off evil. Rabbit-shaped gingerbread cookies were believed to increase fertility. Some ladies would give their favorite knights a piece of gingerbread to bring good luck in tournaments, while women hoping to get married would eat man-shaped "gingerbread husband" cookies to improve their chances at landing a real husband.

In the 14th century, Swedish nuns were known to use gingerbread to treat indigestion. In the 15th century, a gingerbread guild was formed in Germany. While guild members could bake gingerbread all year round, others were only allowed to do so on Christmas and Easter. Queen Elizabeth I hired her own gingerbread baker, who would make gingerbread men in the likenesses of her suitors or visiting dignitaries.

In the early 1600s, Dutch magistrates declared baking and eating gingerbread cookies to be illegal. At this time, it was believed that witches would make gingerbread figures and eat them to cause the deaths of their enemies.

But gingerbread couldn't be kept down for long. A new chapter for gingerbread opened in 1812 Germany when the story of Hansel and Gretel was published as part of Grimms' Fairy Tales. In the story, two children encounter a witch who lives in the woods in a house made of bread, cake, and sugar. This became the inspiration for gingerbread houses.

Also in Germany, heart-shaped gingerbread cookies called lebkuchen that are iced with romantic phrases and attached to ribbons have long been a fixture at street festivals. It is customary for men to buy these cookies for their sweethearts to wear around their neck.

Queen Victoria popularized hanging gingerbread cookies on Christmas trees, and gingerbread came to the Americas with settlers from Europe. Molasses, which was less expensive than sugar, became a common ingredient used in gingerbread. The first known American recipe for gingerbread appeared in a 1796 cookbook.

Gingerbread is just as popular as ever today, and it is primarily known as a treat for Christmas time. You can still buy lebkuchen at fairs across Europe and North America. The town of Bergen, Norway, even creates its own miniature gingerbread town every winter.

Gingerbread cookies, especially gingerbread men, are part of many bakers' Christmas repertoires. If you feel inspired to make your own, here's my favorite recipe for gingerbread cookies.

Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies 

*Based on the recipe from the cookbook Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (Da Capo Press, 2009).

Makes 16-20 gingerbread men, depending on their size

Ingredients:

⅓ c. canola oil

¾ c. sugar

¼ c. molasses

¼ c. soy milk (other types of milk should also work fine)

2 c. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cloves

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 ½ tsp. ground ginger

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar for about 3 minutes. Add the molasses and milk.

Sift in all the other ingredients. When all the ingredients are added, mix until a stiff dough is formed.

Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour or up to 3 days in advance.

If the dough has chilled for longer than an hour, remove from the refrigerator and let it sit for 10 minutes before rolling out. 

When you are ready to roll out the dough and cut your cookies, preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a little less than ¼ inch thick. You may need to add a little more water to the dough to help it hold together. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and use a thin spatula to gently place the cookies on the sheets. 

Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then move them to a wire rack. Wait until they are completely cool before icing. 

Sources:

Amanda Fiegl, "A Brief History of Gingerbread," Smithsonian (December 24, 2008).

Maya Corrigan, “The Surprisingly Dark History of Gingerbread,” Crime Reads (December 7, 2020)

Antonia Wilson, “A Brief History of the Gingerbread House,” The Guardian (December 22, 2018).

“Gingerbread,” Wikipedia.

“See the World’s Largest Gingerbread Town,” Visit Norway.