“An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy ginger-bread.” – Shakespeare –
1. Gingerbread houses originated in Germany
During the 16th century, gingerbread houses were typically decorated with foil and gold leaf and associated with the Christmas holiday. By the way, Queen Elizabeth I of England is credited with the first gingerbread men.
2. You can make a wish by using gingerbread.
According to the Swedish tradition, you can put the gingerbread in your palm and make a wish. You then have to break the gingerbread with your other hand. If the gingerbread brakes into three, the wish will come true.
3. Young women used gingerbread to find dream man
Folk medicine practitioners created gingerbread men to help young women to marry the man of their dreams. If she could get him eat it, then it was believed he would fall in madly in love with her.
4. World’s largest gingerbread house is in Texas
In 2013, the Guinness World Records awarded a club in Texas for having the world’s largest gingerbread house. This house has 35,823,400 calories and it’s big enough to comfortably house a family of five.
5. You can actually dine inside a gingerbread house
At the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain in Tucson, Arizona, there’s a life-size gingerbread house where you can book for a private lunch or dinner during the holiday season. A dinner will cost you around $300, but you’ll get to say you had a meal inside a structure made with 850 pounds of sugar! But pay attention: you’re not allowed to start munching on the walls at any point!