GingerbreadHouses:APopular,ClassicHolidayTreatYoucancookwithit.Youcanmakecandyfromit.Youcanputitintodrinksortakeitasmedicine.Gingerhasmanyuses,butnoneasbeautifulaswhenitisusedinagingerbreadhouse.Pas
GingerbreadHouses:APopular,ClassicHolidayTreat
Youcancookwithit.Youcanmakecandyfromit.Youcanputitintodrinksortakeitasmedicine.Gingerhasmanyuses,butnoneasbeautifulaswhenitisusedinagingerbreadhouse.
Pastandpresent
Ginger-hekeypartofgingerbreadandthehousesthemselves-hasalonghistory.Itisbelievedthatgingerwasusedasearlyas2,000B.C.inChina.Gingerbreadhouseswerefirstwrittenaboutduringthe15thcentury.Butitwasthe19'thcenturyfairytale"HanselandGretel"thatstartedthetrend.AsEuropeanimmigrantsmadetheirwayaroundtheworld,sodidgingerbreadhouses!
OneexampleoccurredinthetownofBellevilleinthe1850s.AslargenumbersofGermanimmigrantsmovedthere,manybroughtalongtheirgingerbreadhouserecipes.Today,duringtheholidays,Bellevillehostsa"GingerbreadWalk"throughitsdowntownarea.Alongthepath,shopownersdisplaybeautifully-madegingerbreadhousesandothergingerbreadcreations.TheeventallowsvisitorsandlocalsaliketoenjoyBelleville'stastiesttradition.
Theworld'slargest
In2006,RogerPelcherconstructedtheworld'slargestgingerbreadhouseinBloomington,Minn.Measuringover60feettall,thehousetookPelcher'steaml,700hourstocomplete.Toachievetheworldrecord,GuinnessWorldRecordssaid95percentoftheoutsidehadtobeeatable.SoPelcherused14,250poundsofgingerbreadandoveratonofcandyonthehouse!
Winninghouses
AtChristmastime,peoplefromSwedentoSeattleentertheircreationsingingerbreadhousecontests.Winnersreceiveprizesforthemostdifficulttobuild,mostcreative,mostbeautifulaswellasothercategories.Butwinningcontestsisn'tthemainreasonwhymakingthesehousesissopopular.Thewonderfulsmellasthegingerbreadbakesandthejoyofeatingitaretherealreasons!
DIY
Onlinedirectionsandready-to-assemblekitsmakecreatinggingerbreadhouseseasierthaneverbefore.Youcanmakethemassimpleorascomplexasyouchoose,Experiencea"taste"oftheholidayswithyourowngingerbreadhousethisyear!
45.Welearnfromthetextthat___.
A.thefairytale"HanselandGretel&qu