National Gingerbread House Day is December 12
That’s right! There really is a day given to celebrating the sweet and spicy creations. It is recognized on the National Day Calendar as a fun food holiday complete with its own hashtag for sharing on social media — #GingerbreadHouseDay.
Queen Elizabeth I is credited with making the first gingerbread men
Gingerbread was popular across Europe and had been formed into many shapes or religion icons. It is commonly thought that Queen Elizabeth I of England first made the bread into the likeness of a man. Visiting dignitaries were each presented gingerbread shaped to resemble themselves to honor the occasion.
Gingerbread’s storied history dates back to ancient civilizations
The history of baking with ginger and spices dates back to ancient Egypt and Rome. Gingerbread is thought to first have been brought to Europe in 992 by an Armenian monk who settled in France and taught the French Christians how to make gingerbread. Returning crusaders also spread the spicy treat across Europe. Gingerbread soon became associated with religious culinary traditions, as often it was monks and priests who prepared it. By the 1600s, Nuremberg, Germany was recognized as the “Gingerbread Capital of the World,” as the guild used master bakers and skilled workers to create elaborate works of art from gingerbread.
By the 17th Century, only professional bakers could make gingerbread, except at Christmas and Easter, when anyone could make it.
The Brothers Grimm are said to have made gingerbread houses popular
The popular folktale duo made a gingerbread house their delicious, and somewhat sinister, backdrop of their German fairytale, Hansel and Gretel. As we know, Gretel saved her brother by pushing the witch into her own oven.
Now that’s one sweet house!
The Guinness Book of World Records crowned the largest gingerbread house at 60 feet long, 42 feet wide and over 10 feet tall. This creation was made in Bryan, TX. Well, that’s no surprise: Everything is bigger in Texas, right?
Consider these facts: The house was made with more than 1,800 pounds of butter, 7,200 eggs 7,200 pounds of flour, 3,000 pounds of brown sugar, 225 gallons of molasses, 22,304 pieces of candy for decoration and equaled an astounding 35,823,400 calories.
While attracting crowds from far and wide to marvel at its sheer size, its sweet construction materials also attracted an estimated 2,000 bees. Organizers called bee keepers to corral the bees before they hindered the hundreds of people who visited the house daily. CS