Medieval Gingerbread Was So Fancy We Wouldn't Recognize It

Little gingerbread men march hand-in-hand throughout the holiday season, making their way into countless celebrations, cookie-making sessions, and schoolhouse parties. Whether decorated with gummies and sprinkles or baked to warm perfection with happy-faced frosting, today's version of gingerbread is a happy-go-lucky symbol of winter holidays. But wait til you hear what gingerbread was like hundreds or thousands of years ago.

Original gingerbread itself is known to have existed in Greece as far back as the 2000's B.C. and in China during at least the 10th century. However, the details are a bit fuzzy, as it appears the earliest versions were more like actual bread or honey cakes, and may not have even contained fresh or powdered ginger. But major changes were in store after gingerbread made its way to France, where it flourished during the Middle Ages in places likes Toruń, Poland as well as the Netherlands and many European countries. Somewhere along the way of transitioning into a sweet, hard-baked, cookie-like treat, it also became very, very posh.

As the trend grew during Medieval times, the humble gingerbread morphed into a dazzling display of artistry, extravagance, and romantic idolatry, completely unrecognizable by today's gingerbread standards. Creating a gingerbread man in the likeness of a lover was the ultimate declaration of devotion, with each spun-honey textured cookie shaped by intricately carved molds, then gilded with genuine gold leaf. The fancy, ornamental gingerbread cookies of Medieval times came in numerous shapes and ornamental decorations, from animals to flowers, birds, family crests, and royalty figurines.

After the Middle Ages, England's Queen Elizabeth I had a hand in the continuing evolution of gingerbread. Her reign didn't begin until the 16th century, but she's known to have popularized the gingerbread trend even further. Her staff had a royal gingerbread chef, and Her Highness once commissioned the gingerbread likenesses of visiting dignitaries to be presented at a banquet in their honor. This created the concept of gingerbread figures as a sign of affection or respect, spreading throughout her court.

The high price of ginger and spun honey limited its popularity to the upper classes, though less extravagant versions of the cookies permeated festivals and gingerbread fairs across England and Europe. The lure of love associated with gingerbread even led to cookie-based love potions by practitioners of the magical arts. To snag a spouse, just trick the intended into nibbling on a pretty little gingerbread person.

Despite its elevated culinary status, gingerbread was also hailed as a digestive in that time period, easing stomach discomfort and nausea. The predecessor of Queen Elizabeth 1, King Henry VIII, recognized ginger's healing properties as well, even wrangling ginger roots as a potential thwart for catching the plague. A similar mindset prevails today, with a wide presence of ginger herbal teas, and gingerbread or ginger cake recipes calling for real ginger roots or powders.

 So what happened to this glorious gold-gilded gingerbread tradition once it landed on American soil? The early colonies were a bit rougher than the Motherland, and edible gold wasn't likely to fly in those circles. But English colonists did establish an earthier version of the trend. George Washington's mother served soft-baked gingerbread to the Marquis de Lafayette of France, who had joined the Continental Army during the American Revolution. That style became known as Gingerbread Lafayette, replicated throughout Washington for generations to come. On a more dubious level, the cookie versions are said to have served as voter bribes during elections.

Today's gingerbread is a far cry from all that, as decorating gingerbread people is more for fun than favor or prestige. The childhood tradition often comes with a reading of "The Gingerbread Boy" fairy tale from 1875, followed by squeals of delight while singing the famous line,"Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me — I'm the gingerbread man!"

That said, there's no reason you can't hearken back to bygone days, creating your own elaborate grown-up version of gingerbread figurines or scenes. Just be sure to choose an authentic gingerbread cookie recipe with real ginger and honey or molasses, and decorate with a royal powdered-sugar icing. As for the patterns, fear not: You can actually purchase intricately carved wooden gingerbread cookie molds online or in specialty kitchen stores. As for that gold gilding of yesteryear, you'll easily find glittery sheets of edible gold leaf designed for decorating.