Do People Eat Gingerbread Houses? It Turns Out They Do
Hello Bakers and Gingerbread lovers, welcome to the Gingerbread House!! The most memorable moment in everyone’s life- assembling the mom’s special-baked Gingerbreads and making a house, decorating them with your favourite candies and toppings and then? Demolishing them, haha. Wasn’t it fun?
Clinging on to that, we came across many questions and discussions on whether Gingerbread houses are edible or not. To answer this question, we have detailed everything you need to know about Gingerbread houses in this article.
What Are Gingerbread Houses?
Gingerbread houses are bonbons shaped into a building-like structure, specifically by baking gingerbread dough into hard biscuits made of ginger, cloves, cardamom, sugar, eggs and flour (traditionally). This famous bonbon is also called a "ginger nut."There are multiple ways to decorate your Gingerbread house using candies and a variety of flavoured icings. Being a popular Christmas and Easter eatable, this baked good has its own religious and regional importance.
Are Gingerbread Houses Edible?
Yes, Gingerbread houses are edible and have a delicious taste. Although, the taste may vary depending upon how you make it.
"Spicy, hard-textured biscuits covered with sugary icing and flavoured candies on top make the perfect dessert for a party!!"
The whole making of Gingerbread houses is divided into several parts to shape and bake according to the design you choose. The walls, the roof, door, windows, fencing, pathway, etc., are made and united together using various flavoured icings.
Hard Gingerbread Houses Taste Bad
It is necessary to bake the walls, roof and every part of the house hard enough to stand without any support. The icing used to stick the pieces is also of a thicker consistency to make it stand firm. Although, this might not work well for the taste.
The texture and flavour are the two major factors that define taste. Gingerbread houses are more inclined towards ostentation rather than having good taste. But if you want to make a perfect bite for yourself, you can make a smoother version of your house. Just make sure that it stands well.
How Long Does a Gingerbread House Last?
The texture of any food item depends on the level of humidity and temperature it is exposed to. By knowing this difference in texture, we can determine if a particular food item is fresh, stale or expired.
Sweet, cute Gingerbread houses are assumed to last a month before it gets inedible. Although, consuming it within a week or so is the best option to enjoy its flavour.
If you want to enjoy it with your family and friends on Christmas, it is advisable to make them 5-7 days before the celebration.
Gingerbread can collect dust
Bakery items, when exposed to air, lose their moisture and turn mouldy quickly. Therefore, it is advised to cover your Gingerbread house with Saran wrap or plastic wrap to protect it from gathering dust or getting stale.
DIY Gingerbread house kits are available in the market where the parts are wrapped inside a designer plastic bag to keep it safe and edible until it reaches you.
History
The history of Gingerbreads dates back to 13th century Germany, where sources state that ground ginger zest was used in baking bread. However, the actual discovery of Gingerbread is unknown to date. If we go by the historical evidence, ginger was highly used by the civilians of the Middle East much earlier than in Europe. But there is no corroboration of it being used in baking.
Ginger, being a prime ingredient of European celebrations as gingersnap cookies, was later accelerated by Gingerbread houses. This bonbon culture ingrained the art, creativity and imagination of people that fostered the essence of their folklore. They shaped gingerbreads like animals, stars, hearts, swords, babies and many more and enjoyed eating them on Christmas eve.
Spread In Germany
Gingerbreads hiked up and spread to Germany. Here, the bakers of Germany used Gingerbreads to limn Gretel and Hansel in their design, a well-known Grimm brothers fairytale. It was not their original production, although they were the ones to popularize it. Inspired by this, the bakers in Germany started to shape their Gingerbreads (lebkuchen) just like the house in the fairytale.
Arrival Of Gingerbreads For Christmas and Easter
Since ancient times, Europeans have considered Ginger-based desserts as a symbol of love in their tradition and culture. Gingersnap cookies and bread were eaten in large amounts during festivals, weddings, and even as a gesture to show love. Every Sunday, Gingerbread used to get sold outside the churches, thus increasing its religious importance. This tradition got a boost with the introduction of Gingerbread houses. So, along with other Ginger desserts, Gingerbread houses also became a great idea to celebrate Christmas and Easter.
Can Pets Eat Gingerbreads?
All kinds of pets, irrespective of any breed or species, shouldn’t be fed Gingerbread houses. This is because Gingerbreads contain a large amount of sugar which can be hard for your pet to digest. Also, if they are made using the traditional method, then it contains nutmeg, which can create agitation in the nervous system leading to stomach upset for your pet.
How To Make Them?
Fetch your chef hat and start baking!! Follow the steps below and make a perfect Gingerbread house for yourself.
Step 1: Prepare a cutout of the design you chose to make your gingerbread house on cardboard.
Step 2: Prepare molasses to get soft dough by heating butter, honey, cinnamon powder, ginger powder and brown sugar in a pot.
Step 3: Take flour, milk and combine the molasses with it and refrigerate the dough overnight.
Step 4: Cut the dough into the desired shapes by placing the cutout over it and pop them in the oven to bake.
Step 5: Prepare the icing by whisking egg whites and sugar together.
Step 6: Use the thick icing to assemble your house and make designs over it.
Step 7: Top it with your favorite candies and lollipops. Get ready to demolish your house!!
