Christmas wouldn't be the same without gingerbread (Michael Bentley / Flickr Creative Commons).

Gingerbread is a dessert, such as a cookie or cake, flavored with ginger and made with molasses. Though gingerbread has become a staple of seasonal goodies throughout the years, it has not always been associated with Christmas. 

Ginger root originates from Malaysia, and was once used to help digestion, prevent colds, soothe upset stomachs, and treat arthritis. 

It is believed that ancient Egyptians and Greeks used the earliest forms of gingerbread for ceremonial purposes. However, it is also said that gingerbread first appeared in its dessert form during the eleventh century, when crusaders brought ginger back from the Middle East to experiment cooking with. 

At first, gingerbread was pressed into wooden molds and short story boards were carved into them to tell consumers the news of the day. Additionally, this expensive cookie was decorated with edible gold paint or flat white icing.

Gingerbread houses became popular after the Brothers Grimm published Hansel and Gretel in 1812. The popularity of gingerbread grew even more once ginger and other spices became more affordable for the common folk.

The first gingerbread man is said to have been created in the sixteenth century by Queen Elizabeth I, who molded her gingerbread into the shape of foreign dignitaries. 

During medieval times, gingerbread became so popular that the people of that time created gingerbread fairs. People even used it to show their love for one another. During the early days, gingerbread tied with a ribbon became popular at fairs and lovers began exchanging them. Women would give knights gingerbread as good luck charms for when the men would fight in tournaments. Some women would even eat “gingerbread husbands” superstitiously, in hopes of finding a husband in real life. 

Until the 15th century, gingerbread referred to preserved ginger only, but once ginger was found to have preservative effects when added to pastries and bread, which may have led to the development of what we now know as gingerbread, the term “gingerbread” changed to include its pastry forms.

In the 17th century, gingerbread making was considered a profession, and only gingerbread bakers could bake gingerbread, except during Christmas and Easter. 

Each country has created its own variations of gingerbread. Though America has the vastest collection of gingerbread recipes in the world (with a variety of presentations, tastes, and forms) Nuremberg, Germany is known as the gingerbread capital of the world, and gingerbread is considered an art form there. 

Reach Associate Food Editor Janelle Cabuco here.