First Catch Your Gingerbread

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. Sam Bilton is a food historian, who runs the Repast Supper Club, food events with a historical theme. 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. Sam is the Awards Secretary of the Guild of Food Writers Committee, and on several panels. 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 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