Nov. 23, 2011 - Issue #840: Battle the world
Provenance
Six facts about gingerbread
Gingerbread first appeared in Europe in the 11th century when crusaders brought ginger back from the Middle East. By the 18th century, gingerbread had spread to all of Europe.
Can't catch me
The first instance of a "gingerbread man" was from the court of Queen Elizabeth I who created gingerbread likenesses of important guests and presented the cookies to them at dinner.
People in cookie houses
Gingerbread houses were created after the Brothers Grimm published Hansel and Gretel, which referred to the house the two siblings come upon in the forest as being made of sugar, cake and gingerbread. After the popular stories came out in the early 1800s, German bakers began to concoct elaborate houses made out of gingerbread.
Remember, Remember
In Britain, gingerbread is traditionally eaten for Guy Fawkes Night, which celebrates the foiled plot on the life of King James I on November 5, 1605. Guy Fawkes—for whom the night is named—was arrested while guarding explosives that had been placed below the House of Lords and which were to be set off when the King opened parliament.
Bigger than my apartment
The largest ever gingerbread house was constructed by Roger Pelcher at the Mall of America in Minnesota. The house took nine days to build, was over 67 feet tall and had an area of 1496 square feet.
Knowledge is power
There are no fewer than three gingerbread museums—two are located in Poland and one is located in Russia. V vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
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