By Chiara Luz
This past weekend I picked up a gingerbread house from Costco. It was too sweet of a deal to pass up at only $13.99. A little girl who was with her mom saw it in my cart and said, “A gingerbread house, Mom—no fair!” Her mother started to head over to the aisle after I told her the price.
I had fun putting it together with my daughter. There were some gingerbread people in the front of the house that seem to have gone missing (hmm) — I wonder how that happened! But I love making traditions with my family. I actually did not grow up putting together a gingerbread house, but a friend from my kid’s Catholic school kept giving me a kit and I finally got into it. If you are looking for a fun, no-stress activity, this is it. Plus, the icing is yummy.
How Did Gingerbread Houses Become a Christmas Thing?
Gingerbread dates back to medieval Europe, where it was a luxury treat made with honey and exotic spices. The first recorded English recipe appeared in 1390 in The Forme of Cury, written by the cooks of King Richard II.
A page from late 14th-century manuscript in the John Rylands Library, Manchester[a]
The idea of building houses from gingerbread started in 16th-century Germany, inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. Side note: as a child my mom used to read me these very scary Grimm’s fairy tales as a kid. I think they liked to scare kids in the 80s. But anyway, German bakers turned this into an art form, and immigrants later brought the tradition to America. Today, decorating gingerbread houses is a festive way to combine creativity, sweetness, and family fun.
The Original Gingerbread Recipe (14th Century)
This medieval version was more like a spiced honey candy than a cookie:
Ingredients:
- 1 quart honey
- Saffron (for color)
- Powdered pepper
- Grated bread (to thicken)
- Powdered cinnamon
- Optional: sandalwood (for red coloring)
- Cloves (for decoration)
Instructions:
- Boil the honey and skim it clean.
- Add saffron and powdered pepper.
- Stir in grated bread until thick enough to slice.
- Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
- Shape into squares or slices.
- Decorate with box leaves and cloves; color red with sandalwood if desired.
This treat was served at feasts and cut into diamonds—sweet, chewy, and spiced, a far cry from today’s molasses-based cookies!
So if you’re looking for a cozy holiday tradition, grab a kit, gather your loved ones, and make your own sweet memories.
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