In many countries Christmas is the time when people bake crisp spicy cookies in various shapes that refer to Christmas. They are nicely decorated with frosting, sprinkle and other confectionaries details. Gingerbread owes its flavor to honey and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and ground nutmeg. Gingerbread has a long tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, nevertheless, to bake it there was a need to use ingredients from faraway countries and for that reason the price of gingerbread was high. Gingerbread soon became a trademark of many Hanseatic cities (e.g. Nuremberg, Amsterdam, Toruń or Klaipeda) symbolizing their wealth and wide trading connections. Eating gingerbread during Christmas is meant to emphasize the uniqueness and importance of that time of the year.
