Why Do We Eat Gingerbread Cookies at Christmas? - Carolina Cookie Company (2024)

FAQs

Why do we eat gingerbread cookies at Christmas? ›

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.

One theory holds that since the "men" are really more toddler-shaped than adult, they came to represent the baby Jesus at Christmas. And the spices involved are sometimes thought to represent the exotic gifts of the Magi.

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.

Prince Albert was German and brought the Christmas tree tradition to England when he married Queen Victoria. Common people needed something to decorate their trees with, and often used a variety of edibles including gingerbread. Everything Queen Victoria did was emulated, and her palace décor was no exception.

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.

By the 16th century Christmas biscuits had become popular across Europe, with Lebkuchen being favoured in Germany and pepparkakor in Sweden, while in Norway krumkake were popular. The earliest examples of Christmas cookies in the United States were brought by the Dutch in the early 17th century.

The gingerbread house origin tells us of a fourth wise man

He would be born in Bethlehem, which means “House of Bread” when translated from Hebrew. It was common for young acolytes to make houses of bread to eat in order to symbolically sustain their faith.

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.

For so many around the world, cookies symbolize that spirit of giving. In all shapes and flavors, they're a bite-size emblem for generosity, solidarity, and seasonal joy. Here is the recipe for the first recorded American Christmas cookie.

Gingerbread cookies are well loved for their taste and texture, especially with their intoxicating mix of spices and chewy textures. The habit of eating gingerbread cookies during Christmas soon became a staple as many saw them as unique gifts.

Are gingerbread cookies only for Christmas? ›

Funny thing is, gingerbread really is a year-round thing. Just ask the lonely old lady who so longed for a child that she baked a gingerbread boy who jumped from the oven and ran away, taunting, “Run, run, as fast you can!

Sure, gingerbread houses have traditionally been a Christmas season activity, but we say it's about time some other holidays got in on the fun. Up first on the list: Halloween. Lucky for you, we've got the ghoulish guide to making the spookiest gingerbread house on the block.

Long before it became a holiday treat, gingerbread was a royal favorite, a token of fertility, and a tool for witches to exact their vengeance. The pudgy gingerbread man with his candy eyes and icing smile has a sinister backstory—a link to death and the demonic.

Gingerbread was a popular treat at medieval European festivals and fairs, and there were even dedicated gingerbread fairs. The first documented trade of gingerbread biscuits in England dates to the 17th century, where they were sold in monasteries, pharmacies, and town square farmers' markets.

By the 15th century, ginger was found in kitchens throughout Europe, lending dishes exotic and aromatic flavors. One of the spice's most popular uses, to make beloved holiday treats, has its roots in 16th century Europe, where traditions around gingerbread houses and cookies first developed.

Surprising benefits

Research shows it may aid in digestion, reduce nausea and help fight the common cold and flu. It's also believed ginger may support weight management, help manage arthritis and may also alleviate menstrual symptoms. Molasses is another ingredient sometimes found in gingerbread.