The story of gingerbread
The story of gingerbread comes from earliest times. In the Bohemian cuisine they are known since the 13th century. Honey cake is perhaps older than bread because wild honey was one of the first food of the people.
In the beginning the base of gingerbread was fairly simple with only a couple of ingredients. Later when new spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger etc... became available it offered several new ways to make gingerbread cakes even more tasteful. This kind of traditional food however was only on the table of richer people due to these expensive spices. The recipe and the baking process of the high quality Bohemian gingerbread were the secret of each manufacturer.
From the beginning only carved boards were used to create the shape of the biscuit and the motif on it. There was no other decoration used. Later different other techniques were developed like white or coloured sugar glazing and icing which is very popular these days. For these decorations usually the harder form of gingerbread cakes are used. This harder base is great to create gingerbread houses which are very popular as Christmas decoration. With royal icing on gingerbread you can make any ornaments, motifs or patterns. This creates a great variety and makes almost each and every product unique. Edible photos can also be used as part of the decoration. This way you can make special personalized gifts for the ones you love.