Nothing symbolizes the holiday season quite like gingerbread. It can take on many forms: edible houses, gingerbread men and spiced cake-like bread. It’s no wonder that gingerbread has a long history that begins with ancient civilization traditions and still carries on today. Here’s how the use of gingerbread began and how it arrived in the states to become everyone’s favorite holiday snack. Gingerbread has been used in recipes all around the world. The first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece. People would go to the temple of Athena and feed gingerbread to the guardian dragon. Then, within the Roman Empire, when people wanted the gods’ help, they would give a piece of gingerbread (braided like hair) as a gift. During the late Middle Ages, other Europeans received ginger from the Far East. Soon Europeans had their own version and it immediately became popular. In the Renaissance period, people would take gingerbread and shape it to display mythological scenes and also portraits FROM RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE TO CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY The History of Gingerbread
of saints and monarchs. At the end of the Middle Ages, gingerbread finally moved away from religious observances and was used for other activities. Germany took gingerbread to the next level. In fact, the gingerbread houses that we create today originated in Germany during the 16th century. Then, when the Brothers Grimm wrote the story about Hansel and Gretel in 1812 — with the witch’s house made entirely of candy and gingerbread — the popularity of this treat increased even more. Even when English colonists arrived in the New World, they brought their traditions and recipes of using gingerbread with them. Colonists would sometimes use gingerbread cookies in order to persuade Virginia voters to choose a certain candidate over another. Now creating gingerbread houses remains popular, especially around the holiday season. These traditions help make good memories that will last a lifetime!
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quarterly infection rate so low that the average Michigan ICU performed 90% better than ICUs nationwide. Now, checklists are instrumental in hospitals across the world. It’s also smart to do things that make you feel well and energetic, including exercise. I stand all day for work, so I make sure to exercise four days a week so I don’t tire myself out doing it! Even my young staff ask me how I make sure I stay so energized.
Lastly, yet most importantly, expressing gratitude and spending time with loved ones will help you get through anything. Maybe I couldn’t get Ritz crackers when I wanted them, but, in reality, I’m very lucky and grateful to live in an era of abundance. In today’s modern age, I have an incredible amount of options before I have to resort to altering a dish or taking it off the menu. And no matter what happens, even if I do get frustrated, I always have my healthy, happy family to come home to at the end of the day. If you’re looking for ways to make the most of your year, counting your blessings is definitely the way to go. Ultimately, gratitude doesn’t just allow you to appreciate the present — it allows you to see opportunities that you might’ve never considered before. It’s only human nature to enjoy our gifts to the fullest.
2 OctoberKitchen.com
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