Gingerbread 101: History, Ginger, and Literature

Origins of gingerbread

Gingerbread has a long history:

• An early form of gingerbread was likely used by ancient Greeks and Egyptians for ceremonial purposes.
• Because ginger was so rare and expensive in 10th century Europe, it is said that "gingerbread" was created by cooks who combined honey, saffron, pepper, cinnamon, and breadcrumbs to replicate the spicy flavor of ginger.
• Another possible storyline is that the real gingerbread was created with ingredients like ground almonds, stale breadcrumbs, rosewater, sugar, and ginger. Later in the 16th century, the English replaced the breadcrumbs with flour while adding eggs to gingerbread to make it lighter.
• Gingerbread became associated with Christmas likely because it used to be scarce and could only be made by the mass during this important holiday.