Fun Facts About Gingerbread
Try to think of a cookie more closely connected to the holiday season than gingerbread men. It’s a pretty tough task right? Like it or not, gingerbread has earned its place alongside candy canes, egg nog and sugarplums as a classic holiday treat. In honor of this holiday favorite, here are some fun facts about gingerbread!
- Elizabeth I of England had the first documented creation of gingerbread shaped like people. The Queen was known to have cookies created to look like her guests when she hosted a party.
- The gingerbread man story, which made the line “you can’t catch me I’m the gingerbread man!” famous was first published in an 1875 issue of St. Nicholas magazine in the United States.
- Tales of runaway food can be found in Germany, Britain, Eastern Europe and American traditions. Some of the food items include: a ball of dough, a pancake and even head cheese.
- In the 1500s, gingerbread was used for news displays. Rolled dough would be pressed onto a wooden mold and then displayed in storefront windows!
- The largest Gingerbread man ever made was created in 2009 and weighed 1,435 lbs.
- Both the Greek and Egyptian civilizations were known to have used gingerbread for ceremonial purposes.
