Although edible gingerbread houses were made in Germany as far back as the 1600s, the fashion took off following the publication of Hansel & Gretel in 1812. Written by the Brothers Grimm, the story described a house ‘built of bread, roofed with cakes and transparent sugar windows’ although bread transitioned into ‘gingerbread’ in later versions.
This iconic fairy tale ignited a bonfire of creativity and more and more German bakers began crafting small decorated houses made from lebkuchen – spiced, chewy honey biscuits which are still popular at Christmas fairs today.
The fashion for gingerbread houses eventually spread to Britain and they were even acknowledged by novelist Thomas Hardy in Jude the Obscure.
He wrote how his eponymous hero – who grew up in his aunt’s baking business – took to building gingerbread houses called Christminster cakes complete with ‘traceried windows and cloisters’ when illness prevented him working as a stonemason.
In America, gingerbread houses are an integral part of many citizens’ holiday traditions, especially those people with German ancestry. Some hotels build and display elaborate life-sized gingerbread houses at Christmas.
As a national event and children’s event worth a visit, The Gingerbread House Festival aims to captures the spirit of the pre-Christmas period and is a must-do activity for anyone who loves baking.
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