Gingerbread form

Gingerbread is a strongly spiced cake, sweetened with honey and characterised by its spicy flavour and long shelf life. Its name in Polish, piernik, comes from the word pierny, referring to pepper, and also meaning „spicy”. The history of gingerbread in Europe dates back to the early Middle Ages. At first, they were baked in the monasteries, later by specialised bakers. The most well-known manufacturers of spicy delicacies were found along the important trade routes. In 19th-century Western Pomerania, the most thriving gingerbread producers were located in Szczecin. Until the end of the 18th century, aromatic pastries were a luxury good. They were popular not only thanks to their taste but also their durability which allowed using them as decorations or gifts. In the 17th century, gingerbread was even sold in pharmacies as a medicine. In rural areas, gingerbread appeared only in the 19th century, when cheaper replacements for honey were found and used for baking. Decorated gingerbread cookies could be then purchased at every village fair. The wooden blocks used to decorate the gingerbread cake with patterns were introduced in the 15th century. They were made by master woodcarvers in large, guild workshops and later in the factories. In smaller, provincial shops, bakers would make the moulds themselves or commissioned them to the travelling woodcarvers. The patterns carved in the moulds varied and often contained symbolic elements. Their creators were inspired by Biblical, mythological and moral themes, they also drew on fairy tales and parables. Apart from human characters, animals and floral patterns, the moulds were also decorated with geometric and heraldic designs. The ethnographic collection of the National Museum in Szczecin contains a mould with an ornament depicting the Christmas nativity scene. It was made in 1714. Apart from the date, the author also left an inscription with „GD” letters – which were probably the initials of the maker, or the symbol showing that the mould belongs to a specific workshop.

Agnieszka Słowińska