december-2009

villages, unmarried
women traditionally
ate gingerbread
“husbands” in the
belief that it would
increase their
chances of fi nding a
mate, hence today’s
gingerbread men.
In the rest of
Europe, gingerbread
varied from a soft
spicy cake to a
crisp, fl at biscuit.
There was pain
d’épices in France,
and the dense,
chewy panforte in
Italy, but Germany
is the country with
the longest and
strongest tradition
of gingerbread,
or Lebkuchen.
In Nuremberg
especially,
gingerbread
became almost
an art form and its
quality was so high
it could be used as
currency to pay city
taxes, as well as
being considered
a gift worthy of
heads of state and
royalty. The oldest
written recipe
dates to the 16th
century and is kept
in Nuremberg’s
Germanic Museum.
The iconic image
of the gingerbread
house has been
stamped onto our
consciousness by
the fairytale Hansel
and Gretel. Two
children are cruelly
abandoned in the
forest and happen
upon a house made
of gingerbread and
FOOD FOR
THOUGHT
Nuremberg has
had a gingerbread
guild since 1643
and is now the
gingerbread capital
of the world.
sweets, presided
over by a wicked
witch. After some
frankly horrifi c
plot twists, the
resourceful children
dispatch the old
crone, and the
tale ends happily
with the children
going home with a
lifetime’s supply of
gingerbread. It is
the candy-studded
gingerbread
house that is the
undisputed star
of the story, the
detail that makes
it magical and
memorable.
In 19th-century
Germany, the
romantic notion
of the gingerbread
house took hold
and became part
of the magic of
Christmas. In some
villages, each family
would make a
gingerbread version
of their house,
which was added
to an edible model
village, displayed
for Christmas and
then broken up and
eaten by the village
children on New
Year’s Day.
The gingerbread
house tradition is
as strong as ever.
You can buy ready-
made versions,
and kits, but
of course the
best route to
gingerbread
supremacy is to
make your own.
You get to play
architect, builder
and decorator,
with the added
advantage that,
come the New Year,
this Christmas
decoration won’t
have to be stuffed
in a box under the
stairs, because it
will all have been
eaten. Melina Keays
WHERE
TO BUY
GINGERBREAD
AROUND THE
NETWORK
★ BERLIN
The KaDeWe is one
of western Europe’s
largest department
stores, with a
top-fl oor food
hall that covers
7,000m 2 . Kaufhaus
des Westens, 21–24
Tauentzienstrasse,
kadewe.de
★ MUNICH
The Christmas
market in
Marienplatz
Square is on until
Christmas Eve and
takes place in front
of the beautiful
Town Hall at the
heart of Munich’s
Old Town. It’s one of
Germany’s largest,
and dates back to
the 17th century.
★ STOCKHOLM
One of the
biggest and
most impressive
Christmas fairs
in Sweden, the
colossal, openair
Djurgården
market, held during
the weekends
leading up to
Christmas, sells
all kinds of festive
goodies, plus
there’s live music,
games, and craft
demonstrations.
10am–4pm; 5–6,
12–13 and 19–20
December; 49–51
Djurgårdsslätten,
skansen.se
Palekh
The magic of Russian
lacquer miniatures
Special exhibition on the fascination of
academic folk art from a village.
28 November 2009–14 February 2010
Opening Hours:
MUSEUM, SHOP and CAFÉ:
Daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Steinenvorstadt 1, CH-4051 Basel
Tel. +41 (0)61 225 95 95
www.puppenhausmuseum.ch
The building is accessible by wheelchair.