Architecture That’s Good Enough to Eat

The holidays are often a time to bake sweets and other goodies you normally wouldn’t take the time to bake during any other time of year. These desserts include things like fudge, meringues, and gingerbread houses. Some of these sweets are quick and easy to make, while others take a bit of effort. Gingerbread houses are a fun project to take on during some well-deserved time off during the holidays.

Gingerbread has been in existence for about one thousand years. It was created in Germany and there have been many variations of how to bake it since its beginning. Throughout time, gingerbread has been spicy, sweet, thick, thin, soft and hard. It was most often either a dark cake or a flat cookie, much like today. And it was almost always decorated with colorful icing and powdered sugar.

Many places in Europe held gingerbread fairs, where people sell and sample each other’s own creations. Each season was normally linked with different shapes – spring was often associated with flowers and buttons, and autumn featured animals and nature. At a traditional fair in England, however, unmarried women were expected to eat gingerbread “husbands” if they wanted a better chance of finding a real life husband.

Gingerbread can be made any time of year, but it is most prominently baked during the holiday season. The tradition of creating gingerbread house masterpieces also began in Germany. The idea was presented originally by the Grimm brothers, who discovered the German fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel wherein two children, deserted by their parents, come across a house in the woods made of cake, bread, and candy.

As gingerbread making became popular in Germany it was quickly recognized as a profession. Nuremberg became known as the gingerbread capital of Europe and craftsmen of all kinds were attracted to the city – sculptors, painters, woodcarvers, and goldsmiths all contributed to the creation of the most amazing gingerbread houses. Chefs and artists worked as a team to bake and decorate each house. People from all across Europe often came to ogle and purchase these creations.

Many European settlers brought their families’ recipes and customs with them to the United States, and the tradition of gingerbread houses was one tradition that took hold immediately and has been ongoing ever since. Creative cooks tinkered with the traditional German recipe and patterns, partially due to different regional ingredients, and today, there are many variations in the way gingerbread is made. This, of course, produces many variations in both taste and appearance.

Many people create gingerbread house masterpieces merely for the love of the art. One enthusiast, Roger A. Pelcher, made the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest gingerbread house ever made. Created in 1989, the work of art was calculated to have a thirty square foot base and was fifty two feet high.

Many gingerbread house making and decorating contests are held today, usually in the beginning of December. Depending on the contest, there may or may not be a small fee to participate, but there is usually free admission for viewers. Also, depending on the contest, winners may be judged by an official panel weighing their decision based on certain criteria, or simply by viewers voting for their favorite house.

One of the largest contests is held at Darnall’s Chance House Museum in Maryland. This contest, which began seven years ago, is for both children and adults and has many rules and regulations. For example, the entire gingerbread house must be edible, and the size of the house can be no bigger than 24” long, 18” wide and 26” high. The winner in each category is chosen based on originality, overall appearance, choice and use of materials and difficulty of design, and is awarded with an honorary medal and a two hundred dollar prize.

This year, a four day gingerbread house contest is being held at the Mills Pond House in St. James by the Smithtown Township Arts Council from December 12-16. Participants were to enter the contest in advance, for a fifteen-dollar fee, but all are welcome to view the masterpieces on any of these days between 3 and 9 p.m.

Another contest was held in Valley Stream on December 3 at the Pagan-Fletcher Restoration. Viewers were to vote for their favorite houses and one hundred dollars in prizes were given out to the winners. Though it may be too late to enter a contest this year, if you enjoy creating or viewing gingerbread houses, it may be something to think about for the next holiday season.

– Justina Fargiano