Historic Holiday Gingerbread

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

As you probably know, I not only love food and cooking, but am also intrigued by the history of food. For this Christmas column, I did a bit of research on the traditional foods and customs of Christmas to share with you—tell your kids it’s edible history—our favorites.

I learned that many of the foods and rituals that are part of our modern holiday fest are actually medleys of pagan winter solstice celebrations and various Christian sect activities. Whether it’s the hot mulled cider, the special cookie recipe that gets baked only once a year, or Dad’s favorite fruitcake, many of the special holiday foods that our families hold dear date back to these ancient traditions during the Middle Ages. Perhaps it’s those time-honored traditions of past centuries that touch our hearts deeply since they link us with ancient human history.

The use of three of my favorite spices—cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon—originates from the gifts of the Magi, and is found in many dishes. Whether you tuck these heartwarming spices into cookies, gingerbread or mincemeat filling, they’ll not only warm your heart but do your health some good too. Cinnamon is actually one of the oldest spices known to man and was once considered more precious than gold. More recently, cinnamon has been studied for its beneficial effects upon those with diabetes, high cholesterol, the common cold, influenza and even frostbite, according to the Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Cloves and nutmeg are nothing to shake a stick at either—they have been studied and show benefits that include cancer prevention and treatment of joint inflammation. Yes indeed, your holiday foods may just help you stay healthy too.

Heat some hot mulled cider on the stove and you'll be tapping into the ancient tradition of wassailing. Wa-what? While your kids probably are familiar with caroling, wassailing is the ancient version—actually a thousand-year old custom of making merry with one’s neighbors that traditionally included a strong drink made of ale, honey and spices.

And mincemeat? While I adore a recipe I adapted—sans the meat—original mincemeat dates back to medieval days when spices were used to preserve meat (There’s that cinnamon, nutmeg and clove kicking in again). In England during the 1500s, belief held that eating mincemeat pie on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas would bring good luck for the following twelve months.

One great way to mingle the ever-changing times with the traditions of a bygone era is to try a new recipe each year—our family enjoys tasting old-yet-new foods based in history. Here’s a simple gingerbread cake recipe with ancient roots in the Christmastime feasts of King Arthur, a time when minstrels sung carols by the light of candles and cooking fires. Whether served warm, with whipped cream, ala mode or straight up, here’s a divinely heartwarming dessert.

Here’s wishing you all a fabulous holiday! Merry Christmas!

Serves/Makes: 6

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 egg