Is Hansel and Gretel a bedtime story? Famine in the land. A mother replaced by a stepmother, children not allowed to eat until everyone else finished, hard chores. Abandoned in the woods to die. They find a candy house with a gingerbread roof. A wicked witch fattening up Hansel to eat him. Pushing the witch alive into an oven and shutting the door. Escaping with her money. Returning home, the stepmother has already died. Their father rejoices with their return. Somehow "For many years to come, Hansel and Gretel lived very happily with their father in the hut in the woods."
It is said that Gingerbread houses became popular because of this original fairy tale in 1812.
Far earlier in the Middle Ages, Europeans had their own version of gingerbread and it was complicated. Nuremberg was recognized as the "Gingerbread Capital of the World" when in the 1600s the guild started to employ master bakers and skilled workers to create complicated works of art from gingerbread. The first documented instance of figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits is from the court of Elizabeth I of England: she had gingerbread figures made in the likeness of some of her important guests. There were traditions of gingerbreads being given out at weddings, and so on.
Medieval fairs known as Gingerbread Fairs were frequent in Europe throughout the year, not just at Christmas. Gold leaves were involved in decorating the cookies and the tradition continued with gilding gingerbread houses - which came into their own with the publication of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales.
Here is an example of the complex art of shaping and decorating.
Here's a gingerbread-looking fireplace at the Centennial Gardens Christmas mosaic culture display a few years ago. And then my favourite Christmas card with Lilies from Lilycrest Gardens.
