the 5000 year History of Gingerbread! a scrumptious ginger cake recipe from a fan inside!
get to know all of the surprising health benefits of ginger The ultimate bitesize magazine for gingerbread lovers
issue 2
July 2020
CONTENTS 03 THE HISTORY OF GINGERBREAD
Sit back and enjoy the heritage of the worldwide favourite delicacy
06
A RECIPE FROM KAY Gingerbread Gazette reader, Kay shares a scrumptious Ginger Cake recipe with us
07
HEALTH BENEFITS Delve into the surprising health benefits and medicinal properties of our core ingredient
greetings! Hello and welcome to the second issue of The Gingerbread Gazette!
05 OUR CUSTOMERS Showcasing feedback from our gingerbread lovers
☎ 01476 501740
✉ alastair@granthamgingerbread.com @hawkensgingerbread
The Gingerbread Bakery 28 London Road Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 6EJ
Since launching the first issue of our bitesize magazine, we received many comments and feedback from our fans and followers; of course, we are forever grateful to hear from people who are interested in our journey! In this month’s edition, we talk about the history of gingerbread and Grantham Gingerbread itself (after great engagement on our social media platforms) whilst Gazette reader, Kay shares her Ginger Cake recipe with us. We also delve into the amazing and intriguing health benefits of our favourite and core ingrdient, ginger! As always, we love feedback from our readers, so please do send in your comments and suggestions for future issues of The Gingerbread Gazette.
THE HISTORY OF GINGERBREAD THE ORIGINS OF ONE OF THE MOST LOVED AND FAVOURED BISCUITS IN THE WORLD
As we indulge into our warm and delicate gingerbreads, whether that be a ‘wind down’ treat or a ritual when drinking a cup of tea, most of us will wonder “how can something so simple, taste so… delicious?” After hundreds of years of evolution and experimentation, gingerbread has indeed come a long way, with generations of people taking a bite across the globe. So, this leaves us to ask: where did it all begin? The origins of gingerbread are somewhat ambiguous, although many have tried to uncover the true foundations of where and when the biscuit began, we seem to have a rough idea. Let’s begin with the ginger root; first cultivated and used 5,000 years ago in China where people used the ingredient for medicinal purposes such as preventing diabetes, cancerous diseases and everyday illnesses. Even to this date, many use the ingredient in its solid or liquid form to treat illnesses and to boost their overall health. However, we wonder whether inhabitants of China thought the spice would become a key ingredient for one of the world’s most loved biscuits? Common research delves into the famous American Monk, Gregory of Nicopolis who supposedly brought gingerbread to North Central France in 992 CE from America. When moving to the town of Bondaroy, Gregory taught gingerbread making to French Christians for seven years, allowing the community to devour the great taste of something sweet and
warm, whilst distributing the biscuits to those who visited the church for their daily/weekly prayers. Polish city Torun is renowned for its traditional gingerbread and has been since the 13th century, when the ever-growing popularity of the delectable biscuit was brought to Sweden by German Immigrants. In the 15th century, gingerbread became a phenomena in Germany, to the extent that a gingerbread guild controlled and operated the production of gingerbread! Interestingly, medicinal purposes appeared once again in 1444 when Swedish nuns baked gingerbread to support their digestive systems, preventing indigestion. A familiar theme is apparent here; as you can solve yourselves; Europeans were mad about gingerbread dating to way back when, and of course this is evident now with numerous European countries adopting their own individual recipes. So, what exactly did the traditional gingerbread consist of you may ask? Ground almonds, stale breadcrumbs, rosewater, sugar and of course, ginger! Stale breadcrumbs were eventually substituted with flour in the 16th century, allowing for a lighter and more subtle taste, as well as texture. Back then, the gingerbread ‘cookie’ would often be decorated with either edible gold or white icing; this was dependent on the wealth of the buyer - those who enjoyed generous capital
would opt for gold extravagant decorations, whilst those without such luxuries would opt for plain white decorations. Whilst exploring the 16th century it is worth noting that William Shakespeare made a reference to gingerbread in Love’s Labours’ Lost (1598): “and I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy gingerbread.” Indicating that if the character had a penny to spare, they would give it to the person to buy gingerbread, inferring that gingerbread at the time was a confectionary that people enjoyed and valued.
gingerbread for health benefits and medicinal purposes whilst monasteries and town markets profited from selling gingerbread to those who enjoyed its taste. 100 years later, Shropshire’s Market Drayton became much acclaimed for its gingerbread which led to displaying 'home of gingerbread' on the town's welcome sign. It is clear to say that as the centuries have passed, gingerbread has gained great attention, with hundreds and thousands of people… one of them being, William Eggleston.
William Eggleston - the creator, the father and the hero who accidentally When we talk about Shakespeare we produced the Grantham Gingerbread. often relate the wordsmith to ‘love;’ the Back in 1740, after opening his bakery in same can be said with gingerbread. Sold market town Grantham, Eggleston at fairs and gifted to loved ones, attempted to bake the famous gingerbread became a ‘token of love,’ Grantham Whetstone. Accidents happen allowing recipients to cherish both the and boy was this a fantastic mistake to scrumptious taste and the thoughtful make! When using the wrong ingredient, gesture. When attending weddings, Eggleston produced a delicate white guests would be gifted gingerbread; round biscuit with a hint of warm ginger, again, representing the ‘theme of love.’ but sweet enough to leave you wanting Queen Elizabeth I was also a lover of more. Success from the local Grantham gingerbread; her love for the delicacy community followed and with this came welcomed the birth of the gingerbread further victory when Eggleston travelled man; a gingerbread figure that would be the world to sell his flavoursome decorated, bespoke to her visiting accidental Grantham Gingerbread. Even dignitaries' likeness during her reign. after the death of Eggleston, many bakers took it upon themselves to bake Gingerbread baking became an and sell Grantham Gingerbread up until acknowledged profession in the 17th the 1970s. However, due to the decline century, believe it or not, only of bakeries, Grantham Gingerbread professional gingerbread makers were production came to a devastating halt, authorised to bake gingerbread, unless it with it not being accessible for over 250 was Christmas or Easter. The 17th years, leaving generations without the century experienced the first taste of true Grantham. documented trade of gingerbread which saw the sale of gingerbread in And then, the story with us begun by pharmacies, town markets and reintroducing Grantham Gingerbread to monasteries. Pharmacies sold the public in 2009…
fun facts Hard, flat gingerbread was once used as a way of expressing news about new kings and queens, similar to the modern day newspaper. Aromatic crumbled gingerbread was once added to recipes to mask the odor of decaying meat. Gingerbread houses became popular in Germany after Brothers Grimm published their Hansel and Gretal in the 19th century. In December 2001, bakers in Torun, Poland, attempted to beat the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest-ever gingerbread house. It was made in Szczecin, Poland, with 4,000 loaves of brick-shaped gingerbread measuring 11 1/2 feet high. It took a week to create and used 6,000 eggs, a ton of flour, and 550 pounds of shortening
JUST TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME WITH A LAST MINUTE PRESENT FOR A FRIEND TO TAKE BACK TO POLAND. LOVED THE PRESENTATION OF THE GINGERBREAD AND THE GINGERBREAD BLONDE BISCUIT BOX, ALL PUT TOGETHER WITH YOUR OWN HAMPER BOX. I KNOW THAT SHE WILL LOVE IT. THANK YOU FOR GOING OVER AND ABOVE AT SHORT NOTICE. LINDA | ONLINE CUSTOMER
KAY'S GINGER CAKE RECIPE GINGERBREAD GAZETTE READER, KAY SHARES HER GINGER CAKE RECIPE, A FAVOURITE AMONGST MANY & CREATED BY HER FAMILY SINCE 1913! Serves 12
method
INGREDIENTS 1lb plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 8oz caster sugar 4 eggs 8 oz softened butter Pinch of salt 4oz stem ginger in syrup plus extra for decoration Splash of milk
Pre-heat oven to a moderate temperature (160 fan) + Grease and line a large cake tin (9�). Finely chop the ginger. Cream the butter and sugar together and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Add a little of the flour to prevent curdling. Sift the flour and baking powder and salt together and gently fold into the mix. Add some of the syrup from the ginger and a little milk to loosen the mix to a stiff dropping consistency. When the mix is nearly combined add the chopped ginger and combine in the mix. Put mix into the prepared cake tin and bake for approx one hour. Test the cake by inserting a skewer into the centre, if it comes out clean the cake is done. Allow to cool in the tin for five minutes and then carefully turn out onto a wire tray to cool. While still warm, drizzle a little of the ginger syrup on top and add some more chopped ginger as decoration.
Want to feature in future issues of the gingerbread gazette? send us your recipes directly to: alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
GINGER'S HEALTH BENEFITS REVEALED! DISCOVER THE 'DID YOU KNOWS' OF OUR CORE INGREDIENT As discussed previously in this issue, ginger was once used for medicinal and health benefits, allowing people to use a cheap yet simple commodity to better their wellbeing and lifestyles. Ginger is still a holy grail amongst millions of people across the world; we delve into the remarkable health benefits that our core ingredient possess. Perhaps you’l l feel less guilty when biting into your next gingerbread biscuit… Ginger is high in gingerol! Whether used fresh, dried, powdered or as an oil or juice, ginger contains gingerol - a powerful substance with medicinal properties. Ginger’s natural oils are a derivative from gingerol; the main bioactive ingredient in ginger. What this means is that ginger has strong antioxidant properties meaning that consuming ginger in any of its forms can prove to avoid bodily cell damage. Relieving nausea! Research shows that ginger can alleviate morning sickness for pregnant women - some research even delves into the benefits of ginger consumption for cancer patients. Those who are undergoing cancer treatment often suffer from nausea and sickness; ginger is known to relieve such side effects. One small study from 2010 examined the effects of ginger root powder supplements on nausea in 60 children and young adults who underwent chemotherapy. The analysis showed that the supplement led to reduced nausea in most of the people who took it.
Alleviate muscle pain! Studies show that consuming 2g of ginger a day for 11 days can significantly reduce muscle pain for those who perform elbow exercises. Ginger however does not have an immediate impact, but is known to be effective when consumed on a dayto-day basis, allowing your body to become accustomed to its overall benefits for your muscles. Lowers your blood sugars! Whilst lowering blood sugars, ginger can improve heart disease risk factors. Though this research is fairly new, it is believed that ginger does contain anti-diabetic properties. In a recent 2015 study of 41 participants with type 2 diabetes, 2g of ginger powder per day lowered fasting blood sugar by 12%. However, keep in mind that this was just one small study. The results are incredibly impressive, but they need to be confirmed in larger studies before any recommendations can be made. Treat chronic indigestion! Ginger has shown to accelerate emptying of the stomach in people who suffer with chronic indigestion. In a study of 24 healthy individuals, 1.2 grams of ginger powder before a meal accelerated emptying of the stomach by 50%. Ginger is good for you! It's a 'superfood' for a reason. DISCLAIMER: though we understand how delicious gingerbread are, we wouldn't advise on following the 'a gingerbread a day keeps the doctor away' motto...
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