Christmastime conjures many images and memories, from Santa Claus to pine trees decorated with tinsel and lights. Brightly colored wrapping paper hiding boxes of toys and clothes often reminds one of the holidays. One of the most interesting images of the holiday season is the gingerbread house. These edible constructions are European in origin, but have become as American as apple pie. There is as much to learn about these sweet treats as there are ways to decorate them.
History
While the origins of the first gingerbread ever made is debatable, it is clear that it was made by monks of the Catholic Church. It is thought that they were French, English or German, and that this original gingerbread was baked for celebrations and holidays. The spice, ginger, was used mainly in its candied form for a very long time. It was brought back to Western Europe after the crusades and was celebrated for its ability to preserve foods. Because of this, bakers began using it in confections. They did so in order to make them last longer and travel farther. These ginger cakes were decorated elaborately. The cakes were shaped into objects early on. It was not until much later, however, that the first gingerbread house was constructed. Fifteenth century Germany was the first time that a gingerbread house is mentioned in any texts. Years later, "Hansel and Gretel" made the edible homes legendary with the tale of two lost children lured in by a witch who lived in a gingerbread house. From there, the craze caught on and eventually found its way to the New World.
Types
Gingerbread recipes vary from area to area and country to country, but the resulting houses are always beautiful and ornate. The main difference in recipes for the building block of these homes is the sweetener used. In America, the traditional gingerbread recipe includes molasses as the sweetener of choice. In England, however, this is not the case. While the English use much more molasses on a regular basis in most of their cooking, it is not traditional to use this as the sweetener in English gingerbread. Instead, they use brown sugar cut with maple syrup. Different still, in Germany, honey alone is used to sweeten the gingerbread. The differences in these sweeteners lends a slight difference to the taste and to the consistency of the gingerbread itself. The and syrup recipe makes a dryer gingerbread. Those gingerbread pieces cook quicker and are easier to glue together, but they may be more fragile. The honey recipe makes a moister gingerbread, and the adhesive qualities of the icing are more challenging. The molasses recipe is a good compromise between the two, but care must still be paid whenever constructing any kind of gingerbread house.
Features
The main attraction for any gingerbread house is the decoration of it with the different types of candy. There are some standard candies that are used on a regular basis because they look so similar to actual building materials of real houses. Candies used for gingerbread house roofing usually include Necco wafers. These are used because of their tile-like appearance. On larger gingerbread houses, circus peanuts work well and look remarkably like terra cotta roofing. Candy canes are almost always used in one aspect or another, whether they are small, straight canes used for window outlines, or large, crook as entry ways or light posts. Gumdrops line the walk up to many gingerbread houses. These candies also act as impromptu doorknobs and cobblestones. All of these decorations are awe inspiring, but they would be nothing were it not for the glue that held them together...literally. Royal icing is the unsung hero of the modern gingerbread house, and it is what all great gingerbread houses are put together with. It is made with egg whites and powdered sugar, beaten together until creamy and white. Piped into place and set to dry, this is not only edible and tasty, but it is also incredibly durable!
Size
The size and scope of a gingerbread house is limited only to the imagination of its builder and designer. There are amazing feats done with food and sweets every day now. The limits are always being pushed further. On November 24 of 2006, the world record was set for the world's largest ever gingerbread house. It was unveiled at no other than The Mall of America (the world's largest mall) in Minnesota. It was 60 feet tall with 1,496 square feet of space inside. Visitors were even able to walk through it!
Significance
The idea of the gingerbread house has traveled many hundreds of miles and morphed as many times as the traditions of the Christmas season itself. It started as a humble cake made from candied ginger in the bake houses of Catholic monks in the middle ages, and it has expanded to include elaborate constructions that are big enough to walk through. Yet, one thing remains the same: celebration. The significance of the elaborate designs, hard work and time put into these creations always reminds the onlooker of the celebration and joyous nature of the season that accompanies them. The act of putting together one of these beautiful houses with your family and friends only adds to the celebration, as well. Take a moment to celebrate the next time to see a gingerbread house on display. Perhaps you will come up with a design of your own. It will only add to your own joy of the season.
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