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Since Elizabeth I of England ascended the throne, she would mark history during her reign of more than four decades. Throughout the Elizabethan era, she would master five languages and lead the English army to victory over the Spanish Armada, as well as investing in the exploration of the New World. However, there is a fact that perhaps very few people know: the monarch was the ideologist of the famous Christmas gingerbread man.
The invention dates back to the 16th century when Elizabeth ordered her cooks to make gingerbread figures with the names of her most prominent guests. They would then decorate each iteration to resemble the visitors, turning the humble loaf into a personalized creation to give as a gift. They were, after all, a clever act of diplomacy designed to impress and flatter visitors.
While Queen Elizabeth I was popularizing gingerbread dolls in England, gingerbread was experiencing its true golden age throughout Europe. The art of making this sweet treat had risen to such a level that bakers formed exclusive guilds to perfect their craft. In 1571, France founded its own guild, followed by Germany in 1643, where the city of Nuremberg became the heartland of master bakers and wood carvers. These craftsmen, in addition to baking bread, made elaborate molds to mark the dough with intricate motifs.
But the creativity surrounding gingerbread cookies did not end there, but continued with the hiring of decorators to embellish them with decorations, and even goldsmiths to paint them with edible gilding.