More holiday traditions...
Yesterday I shared Jack's favorite tradition as being candy canes during Christmas. So this morning I interview Jakub. He initially said Sledding, but in Montana you can sled just about any time. I asked him to share his favorite thing that we have done at Christmas. He finally answered making gingerbread cookie and drinking hot cocoa.
We have just started making gingerbread men this year. Not me...Nanny has been baking them and I have been helping decorate them. Jakub really gets into dressing them with the icing and making them buttons with chocolate chips. He really, really love EATING them!
So, where did Mr. Ginger Bread come from?
(found on the website "The straight Dope"... http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1912/whats-the-origin-of-the-gingerbread-man)
The earliest form of gingerbread was not a cake, but a solid block of honey baked with flour, ginger, breadcrumbs and spices. They were extravagantly and elaborately decorated in medieval England and were a popular present, the way that a box of chocolates is today. The decoration could include being colored with saffron or cinnamon, or having designs impressed on the gingerbread by large wooden molds--including the shape of men or pigs. The fleur de lis was a popular shape, as was a heart (to ward off evil), a stag (for virility) or a rabbit (for, ah, fertility.)
n the late 16th century, at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, honoured guests at court were sometimes presented with their portrait in gingerbread.
Around the same time, molasses from the New World replaced treacle in many recipes. Specialty gingerbreads were made in towns such as Ashbourne with its white gingerbread, or Ormskirk with dark; and Grasmere gingerbread from the Lake District has a shortbread texture (as do some Scottish gingerbreads.)
These little cookies that have our imagination running these days have a long history. My favorite gingerbread man is Gingy from Shrek because he is a smart butt...kinda like me. I do not really like the taste of gingerbread men. I can't call it my favorite cookie...in fact I don't get much more than a bite in my mouth before my stomach starts turning. They do smell good when you bake them and they are something fun to do. I suggest trying it as a tradition to everyone. The kids will love it.
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