Cookies, houses, cake; celebrating the great taste of gingerbread

Not our gumdrop buttons! - November 21 is National Gingerbread Day.

Calling all man-shaped cookie cutters and edible houses: today is all about getting a jump on one of our favorite ways to herald the holiday season and making your house smell oh-so-incredibly good.

The confusing thing about gingerbread is that it can mean all kinds of things, but the best part is they're all scrumptious. Some folks like to bake up a sweetly spiced, moist loaf of actual bread, while others dig out their cookie cutters and start punching out crispy cookies. Gingerbread was first made by an Armenian monk named Gregory of Nicopolis. When the monk moved from Greece to France in 992, he brought his tasty creation with him and taught French priests the art of making it. Gingerbread grew in popularity and spread throughout Europe. Monasteries and town square markets jumped on the idea and began selling them in the 1500s. Market Drayton in Shropshire became famous for it, and they still display this on their welcome sign.

Have we got you salivating yet? If you only want just a taste of gingerbread to say you had it this holiday season, you can always make gingerbread cookies or this fun cake decorated with gingerbread cookies. Or if you're feeling adventurous, try one of these 23 gingerbread recipes!

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