Gingerbread houses have been for thousands of years and for many they remain a staple of Christmas holiday tradition.
Some families even turn making them into a competition with rules including that the house must be 100 percent edible and 75 percent gingerbread. The judges can be other family members or friends not competing, or the houses can be posted online for judging. Gingerbread houses are judged on their overall appearance, originality or creativity, how difficult it was to make, and the consistency of a theme.
When competing in a cookie swap, the cookie should be judged on taste and appearance. The cookie shouldn’t be an ordinary cookie, such as chocolate chip. It shouldn’t be gooey and the main ingredient should be flour. If you burn your cookies and don’t have time to make more, you can use bakery cookies, but never store bought cookies. Cookie swaps are usually on a specific day. Nationally, cookie swaps are celebrated on Dec. 23. The best part of the cookie swap is you get to eat cookies and take some home.
Gingerbread has been around thousands of years. Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used gingerbread in religious ceremonies. Gingerbread was brought to Europe in 992 by an Armenian monk. Through the 17th century, gingerbread was used for religious ceremonies. In the late 17th century, gingerbread became associated with Christmas.
Russian bakers prepared gingerbread men and women, usually as replicas of those people attending parties.
Gingerbread houses were introduced about 200 years later, when the Grimm brothers wrote Hansel and Gretel. A new holiday tradition was born. People took the witches’ house and made it into a merry winter wonderland of cottage houses.
The gingerbread Germans made was a harder consistency than more modern gingerbread, and people began using it to make their pretend houses. They could build taller and fancier houses. Gingerbread houses are adorned with gumdrops and other candies, along with confections.
The earliest cookie swap in America was recorded around 1703. The event was held in New Amsterdam, now New York, by the Dutch. The Dutch had brought the custom with them from the old world.
As other immigrants came to the United States, they brought their customs and recipes with them. Some of the first cookies during cookie swaps were ginger molasses, Mexican wedding balls, Swedish overnights, and sour cream cherry shortbread cookies.
Other things to remember if you are hosting a cookie swap are to try to keep track of who is bringing what, ask your guests to bring copies of their recipe for the other guests, and provide plastic trays or bakery boxes for guests to take their cookies home.
Mostly, in the spirit of Christmas, have fun when gathering with your family and friends and be thankful for everything the holiday has to offer.
Sources for this story included history.com, epicureandculture.com, blogsbelievue.edu, grunge.com and content.time.com.
Jackie Wolgamott is a stringer for The Times-Gazette.
Gauge and Wyatt Markwell build a gingerbread house at their grandmother’s house in Leesburg.
https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2021/12/web1_Gingerbread-houses.jpgGauge and Wyatt Markwell build a gingerbread house at their grandmother’s house in Leesburg. Photo by Jackie Wolgamott
By Jackie Wolgamott
For The Times-Gazette
FAQs
In the late 17th century, gingerbread became associated with Christmas. Russian bakers prepared gingerbread men and women, usually as replicas of those people attending parties. Gingerbread houses were introduced about 200 years later, when the Grimm brothers wrote Hansel and Gretel. A new holiday tradition was born.
What is the tradition of gingerbread houses at Christmas? ›
Today, the ultimate Christmas gingerbread incarnation is of course the gingerbread house. It has been suggested that these edible structures originated in Germany between the 16th and 18th centuries. The trend for gingerbread houses must have spread to Britain at some point during the nineteenth century.
What is gingerbread in German Christmas traditions? ›
This is a traditional Christmas treat, soft & chewy with many wonderful spices. Use your favourite cookie cutters to create an army of little men, a collection of hearts or a herd of reindeer! "Lebkuchen" (gingerbread) is also known as "Honigkuchen" (honeycake) in some parts of Germany.
Is gingerbread a Christmas treat? ›
Gingerbread is a warm treat, and decorating your homemade cookies with the entire family has made it a Christmas must-have.
Why is a gingerbread house a symbol of Christmas? ›
The tradition of decorated gingerbread houses began in Germany in the early 1800s, supposedly popularised after the not-so-Christmassy fairytale of Hansel and Gretel was published in 1812. ... Inspired by the story, German bakers began to craft small decorated houses from lebkuchen, spiced honey biscuits. Dec 22...
What is the dark history of gingerbread? ›
Superstitions about gingerbread flourished in the 17th century. Witches supposedly made gingerbread figures, ate them, and thereby caused the death of their enemies. Dutch magistrates went so far as to declare baking or eating molded cookies illegal.
What is the Christmas story about the gingerbread house? ›
According to certain researchers, the first gingerbread houses were the result of the well-known Grimm's fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" in which the two children abandoned in the forest found an edible house made of bread with sugar decorations.
What are some interesting facts about gingerbread? ›
Originally gingerbread was made with honey and breadcrumbs
One of the earliest English recipes for gingerbread, written down in the fifteenth century, didn't actually contain any ginger! Instead bread crumbs or 'gratyd brede' were mixed with boiled honey and formed into a stiff paste with saffron and pepper.
Is gingerbread just for Christmas? ›
Gingerbread makes the perfect year round gift
They certainly make a lovely edible gift for family and friends as they can be decorated so individually and beautifully with icing, sweets and ribbons making them almost too good to eat.
What country has the best gingerbread? ›
The making of these holiday cookies are a time-honored tradition in many families across the world. But, the one country that takes gingerbread making to a whole other level, especially for the holidays, is Germany.
Gingerbread houses in Germany originated from bakers interpreting the description of a house from the story Hansel and Gretel. The story is about two siblings who encounter a witch living in a gingerbread, cake, and candy house. Bakers would apply and try to craft their versions of this house.
What is German gingerbread called? ›
Lebkuchen (pronounced leyb-koo-kuh n) is a centuries-old German spiced treat traditionally baked during the winter holiday season. While lebkuchen is often translated to English as gingerbread, it's not exactly what most Americans envision when they think of gingerbread.
Why are men gingerbread at Christmas? ›
The Gingerbread man is one of England's most frequently used Christmas decorations. Its creation is attributed to Queen Elizabeth !, who is thought to have served the gingerbread figurines to visiting dignitaries. Lebkuchen, the German gingerbread, is likely to be the oldest Christmas gingerbread cookie.
Are gingerbread houses winter or Christmas? ›
After a slow-ish start, gingerbread house-making soon became tied to Christmas in North America — likely thanks to the original German decorative style that was already reminiscent of the holiday, according to Food Network.
Does Santa like gingerbread? ›
Gingerbread cookies
Perhaps most well known in the shape of gingerbread men, thanks to the nursery rhyme, the ginger gives these cookies an unmistakable spice. Santa loves when these cookies are decorated and shaped into a gingerbread family.
Why is the gingerbread man Christmas symbol? ›
Well listen and I'll tell you the story of how gingerbread men became synonymous with Christmas. As the legend goes, Queen Elizabeth had these delicious cookies made for foreign diplomats who visited the palace at Christmas time. These specially designed cookies were a symbol of peace and love.
What is the significance of Christmas cookies? ›
Parents wanted to encourage generosity in their children particularly during the harsh times of the depression. But the tradition quickly stuck and even today, most homes around the world that celebrate Christmas put out cookies for him and his reindeer.
