[Sca-cooks] Gilded gingerbread query

Johnna Holloway johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu
Thu Jan 4 14:02:31 PST 2007


Seems to date from the 18th19th centuries
OED says under gingerbread*
*
    (1766) *Smollett* /Trav./ Let. xxx. II. 104 "Yet the rooms are too
    small, and too much decorated with carving and gilding, which is a
    kind of gingerbread work. "
    (1840) *R. H. Dana* /Bef. Mast/ xxii. 66 "There was no foolish
    gilding and gingerbread work to take the eye of landsmen and
    passengers. "
    (1844) *Tupper* /Heart/ xiii. 135 "His distant relative's good
    feeling..served indeed to gild the future, but did not avail to
    gingerbread the present. "

    Another quote is found under ship-shape
    (1840) *R. H. Dana* /Bef. Mast/ xxii, "There was no foolish gilding
    and gingerbread work,..but everything was `ship-shape'. "

You might suggest to your correspondent to check out House on the Hill
for gingerbread molds. They sell powdered dusts and paints for coloring
the finished cookies.http://www.houseonthehill.net/

Johnnae

David Friedman wrote:
> A corespondent put this question to me and wanted me to post it to the list:
> ---
> I wanted to ask if you could perhaps shed any light on the origin of 
> the phrase "to gild the gingerbread?" and whether, to your knowledge, 
> gold leaf is still much used as food decoration?
>
>   



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