Sugar and Spice . . . and Everything Nice

Cara/Andrea here,
As many of you may have noticed, the Wenches have been making merry over the last two weeks in celebration of the recent release of our Christmas anthology. (Mischief and Mistletoe officially went on sale September 25.) The overall theme we decided on was a very simple one—a Wicked Wench at Christmastime—and then off we went to write our individual stories. (Trust me, the Wenchly brainstorming sessions on coming up with the concept for our anthology were highly amusing, to say the least!)

The result is eight individual stories tied together by this one holiday ribbon—and as a reader I find it delightful that each has its own unique interpretation of “wicked” and reflects the style of its author. I’m betting those of you familiar with the Wenches will be able to identify the author of each simply by reading a snippet!

I n my story, I chose to create a heroine whose “wickedness” is simply being a headstrong hoyden. She’s no proper lady—which tweaks the perfectly tied cravat of the oh-so proper hero. He believes in order and the rules . . . until a chance storm forces them to join forces in a desperate journey to reach London in time for Christmas.

Now, along the way, I actually have the hero do something a little wicked too—he purloins a sackful of freshly baked gingerbread .  . . which got me to thinking about this traditional English holiday treat. So I decided to do a little research on the subject and thought I’d share a few sweet facts.

According to the Smithsonian website, gingerbread is thought to have been brought to Europe by Crusaders returning from the Levant. Whatever its origins, it became a popular staple of  Medieval fairs and festivals. (It was a token of good luck for a lady to give her favored knight a piece of gingerbread during a tournament.)  Another source cites that the first record of gingerbread formed in the shape of a human figure comes from the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who is said to have presented important guests with their likenesses made out of the spiced dough.

Gingerbread is still very popular traditional holiday treat throughout Europe and most countries have their own individual regional variation. In the Nordic countries, a thin, crisp pepper-spiced biscuit is an integral part of the Yuletide celebrations, while in Germany, a great favorite is a soft gingerbread known as lebkuchen. In Poland, the city of Toruń has been famous for its gingerbread since the Middle Ages, and in Bulgaria, the local specialty is made with honey and covered with a chocolate glaze. My Swiss mother adored biber, a marzipan filled gingerbread cake that is the specialty of the cantons of Appenzell and St. Gallen—and so do I!

How about you—do you like gingerbread?  Have you a specific type that you enjoy during the holidays? If you’re not a big fan of gingerbread men, what’s your favorite holiday cookie?

Comments

[Sherrie Holmes]

Sherrie, here. Cara/Andrea, the first time I was served a hot slice of gingerbread fresh from the oven, it smelled divine. Then my mother drizzled lemon sauce over it, and I went, "Gaahhh!" No way could lemon and gingerbread be a good combination. Boy, was I ever wrong! It was delicious.

My favorite holiday cookie, however, is Swedish spritz cookies (otherwise known as butter cookies). That, and Russian teacakes. Those were two family favorites that Mom made every holiday, and it just wouldn't be Christmas without them.

[Elizabeth Seckman]

I've never had anything but the traditional ginger bread. It'd be fun to try the others.

[Anne Gracie]

I also love gingerbread — the dark, moist tangy stuff. And sherrie, we sometimes ice gingerbread with lemon icing. It's a delicious combination. I've made a few different kinds of gingerbread, including lebkuchen but an interesting kind of gingerbread I've always wanted to bake but haven't yet is Grasmere gingerbread — I'll probably use the Jamie Oliver recipe —it's on-line.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Sherrie, I love lemon combined with gingerbread! (I have iced gingersnap cookies with a glaze of lemon and confectioner's sugar with divine results!)

Butter cookies seem a popular treat in all European countries. Another Swiss favorite of mine is essentially a butter cookies dough but with ground hazelnut added, You roll out the dough and slice into finger-shaped cookies. Oh, bliss if you are a nut lover.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Elizabeth, trust me, there are LOTS of wonderful gingerbread recipes. They are definitely worth exploring!

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Anne, I checked out that recipe and it looks really intriguing! Will definitely try it for the holidays. (As if I don''t have enough sweets in the house. Sigh.)

[Maria D.]

I have tried gingerbread but I haven't liked the ones I've tried - I'm still determined though to find a recipe I like so I'll keep looking:)

[Susan/DC]

My husband and I did a walking tour of the Lake District this summer and visited Grasmere, so I can tell Anne from firsthand experience that the Grasmere version of gingerbread is V.G.

One of my favorite associations with the stuff, however, is Edith Layton's story "The Gingerbread Man" from a Signet Regency Christmas anthology. The hero smells gingerbread but has no idea where the smell is coming from, and in trying to track it down he asks his friends, his mistress, and various other people their thoughts on the stuff. Layton was brilliant in this story, and you get whole personalities and histories in the encounters (the mistress' story is particularly heartbreaking). I definitely recommend searching for this.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Maria, if you don't care for the cake-like gingerbread, maybe try crisp cookies. (Or vice-versa)

Anne mentions a really interesting gingerbread that is on Jamie Oliver's cooking website that I'm going to try.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

SusanDC, thank you SO much for the reminder of Edith's story. That is actually one I missed, and have made a note to find it. We Wenches all miss her greatly.

[Louis]

Gingerbread....

Haven't had that in many years.

Now you have me* wanting some...and maybe a ginger beer to go with it. Haven't had that in years also. Taste chages as we get more ancient.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Louis, one never loses the taste for gingerbread, LOL! (And the ginger beer sounds lovely too!) I say you should treat yourself to some early Holiday cookies or cake.