Description
Gingerbread is a lovely treat which has played a part in almost everyone’s childhood. But what was gingerbread made of when it first arrived on our plates? When did treacle, dark and sticky, first become available? And why did the gingerbread man leap from the tin, and run so fast with a fox snapping at its heels?
Sam Bilton examines the history of gingerbread, from ancient times down to the present day, before introducing us to a range of delicious gingerbread and ginger cake recipes that bring the story of this spicy and much loved treat to life.
The Lady 4 November 2022 – ‘I go nuts for ginger’: “…a beautifully researched and illustrated book full of literary and folk anecdotes, and the history and heritage of gingerbread…50 recipes from Britain and beyond.” Reviewed by Dr Sue Bailey
Sam Bilton is a food historian, who runs food events with a historical theme http://www.sambilton.com. She is also a food and drink writer, with articles appearing in magazines and online, with English Heritage, and she works on historical recipes, recreating them for the modern day, including an eighteenth-century recipe for a Bride Cake. She regularly broadcasts on BBC radio, and gives talks at RHS Horticultural Shows, in Hampton Court, London, and Tatton Park, near Liverpool, runs events at The Garden Museum’and she blogs at comfortablyhungry.com’.
Annie Gray (food historian, The Kitchen Cabinet) ‘Well, this book is a real treat!’
Contents
| Part 1: THE STORY OF GINGERBREAD | |
| Introduction: What Is It About Gingerbread? | |
| Chapter One: Ancient Origins of Gingerbread | |
| Chapter Two: Medieval Gingerbread | |
| Chapter Three: Everyman’s Gingerbread | |
| Chapter Four: Gingerbread Creations | |
| Chapter Five: All the Fun of the Fair | |
| Chapter Six: Decline and Rise of Gingerbread | |
| Part II: The Recipes | |
| Biscuits, Wafers & Griddle Cakes | |
| Bread & Yeasted Cakes | |
| Gingerbread Cakes | |
| Savouries | |
| Desserts & Sweetmeats | |
| Miscellaneous Recipes | |
| Acknowledgements | |
| Notes | |
| Bibliography | |
| Recipe Index | |
| General Index |
