1 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday. We have some culinary history coming up this week, 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: so we thought we would get a head start on 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,160 Speaker 1: that theme with a classic episode that also fits with 4 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: the winter holiday season. It's the Historical Roots of Holiday Traits, 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: which originally came out on December, and it traces the 6 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: origins of a few of our wintertime and Christmas time favorites. 7 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: Enjoy Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a 8 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 9 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: I'm Holllly Fry and I'm Tracy B. Wilson. Tracy Yep. 10 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:48,239 Speaker 1: It's time for delicious holiday snacks. I know for some 11 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: people to celebrate Christmas or other winter holidays, the snacks 12 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: are the best thing about the season. I think Tracy 13 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: and I have told the ridiculous story of us being 14 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: two of the only people in the office during Christmas 15 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: holidays one year and making s'mores with um chocolate moose 16 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: peeps and peppermint bark and running around like we were 17 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: wild animals. It was amazing because the sugar rush was 18 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: more than we can handle. Yeah, and it was super fun. 19 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:18,759 Speaker 1: And even if you'd like don't celebrate the religious holidays 20 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: are even like the more cultural like the people who 21 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:24,960 Speaker 1: are more culturally Christian and celebrate Chris Christmas in a 22 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: more secular way, like even if you don't do any 23 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: of that, A lot of these things is the only 24 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: time of the year that you really find them. Yeah. Uh, 25 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,479 Speaker 1: and yummy snacks or yummy snacks, but many of these 26 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: snacks have histories that go back hundreds of years. But 27 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: because of the nature of the subject, things get really 28 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: confusing in a hurry, because after all, all of the 29 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: historical evidence is pretty much eaten uh. And so there's 30 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: a lot of apocrypha going on. Uh. And So in 31 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: the interest of examining the stories behind some of the 32 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: most ingested holiday consumables, we're going to sort through that 33 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: apocrypha and the known facts, and we'll probably all be 34 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: craving something sweet and delicious by the end. Expectations management 35 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: right out of the gate. We already talked about eggnog 36 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: and its origins a bit in our Eggnog Riot episode, 37 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 1: so we're not going to talk about eggnog today. We 38 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: do have another drink, which is wattle, and will also 39 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: cover candy canes and gingerbread. I'm excited because uh, a 40 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: lot of these things are delicious, so candy canes bright 41 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: and cheerful sticks of peppermint goodness, but no one really 42 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: knows exactly where they came from. There are a lot 43 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: of unsubstantiated stories about the origins, though, and three of 44 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: them are the ones that are the most commonly repeated. 45 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: So one version of this story goes that candy canes 46 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: were originally invented in Germany in the sixteen hundreds, and 47 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 1: in this apocryphal version, a choirmaster at a cathedral invented 48 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: candy canes as a way to keep children who are 49 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: normally a little bit fidgety and sometimes noisy, occupied and 50 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: quiet insure urch. And he had the candy sticks made 51 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: by a confection or with a crook at the top 52 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: so that they echoed the shape of a shepherd's staff, 53 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:11,639 Speaker 1: making the idea of candy in church more acceptable to parents. 54 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 1: Sometimes this story is told, along with color symbolism, that 55 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: the choirmaster specifically chose white sticks of candy to represent 56 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: purity and Christ, but there is absolutely no record of 57 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: such a thing, and no one seems to know who 58 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: this choirmaster was, even though they're an awful lot of 59 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: details about his thought process so again it's a lovely story, 60 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: but unsubstantiated. I'll say I would have much preferred candy 61 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: as a way to keep quiet in church than what 62 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: I actually had, which was doodling on the church bulletin. 63 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: Church bulletins are generally not delicious. No shade to any 64 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: church bulletins but now, but I would draw on them. 65 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 1: So another origin story attributes the invention of the candy canes, 66 00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 1: who are particularly devout confectioner in the United States, cifically Indiana, 67 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: who carefully designed the candy cane as an expression of 68 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: the story of Christ. And this similarly sites the white 69 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: of the candy cane is a symbol of purity, and 70 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: the red stripes this symbolic of the blood of Christ 71 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: to the crucifixion, and the cane shape, according to this version, 72 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: is actually the letter J for Jesus. Again, there's no 73 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: evidence for this story. Uh, that's that's similar to like 74 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: the one that I heard the most growing up, although 75 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: I heard the combination of the colors being this one 76 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: and then the crook is the shepherd's Yeah, And it's 77 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: one of those things like if people like to think 78 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 1: of them that way, that's great, But like there's not 79 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,600 Speaker 1: really any historical backing for that being how and why 80 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: they were invented. Um. A third story is less about 81 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: the invention of the peppermint treat and it's more about 82 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 1: the introduction of it to the US. And this tale 83 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: features a German immigrant named August m Guard and according 84 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 1: to the legend, m Guard put up the Christmas tree 85 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,920 Speaker 1: the in Ohio when he decorated his in eighteen forty seven. 86 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: And it said that m Guard's tree had paper ornaments 87 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: and candy canes on it. At least that is how 88 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: some versions of the story go. There are other accounts 89 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: that say that it was actually a type of decorated 90 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: Bavarian cookie that was used to grace the tree, along 91 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: with the paper ornaments, as well as nuts that were 92 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: painted gold. M Guard does remain associated with one of 93 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: the earliest Christmas trees in the US, although I think 94 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: he is no longer referenced as the first Christmas tree 95 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: in the US. But the candy cane aspect of the story, 96 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: in terms of him bringing it to the United States 97 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: and decorating with it, is again not substantiated in any way. 98 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 1: As for the striped peppermint sticks themselves, They're clearly described 99 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 1: in the eighteen four book The Complete Confectioner, Pastry, Cook 100 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: and Baker by Eleanor Parkinson. In a section of the 101 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 1: text titled Clove gender or Peppermint Candy, the process of 102 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 1: making striped candy is described this way. For clove, the 103 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:08,919 Speaker 1: mixture whilst boiling is colored with cocone, heal ginger with saffron. 104 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: But the peppermint must be kept perfectly white except the stripes, 105 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 1: which is done by cutting off as many pieces from 106 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 1: the bulk as you have colors which should be in powder. 107 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:21,160 Speaker 1: Put a sufficiency and each piece to give the desired 108 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: tent and keep them warm. When the remaining portion of 109 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:26,840 Speaker 1: the sugar is pulled, lay them over the surface, and 110 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: narrow stripes double the roll together and the face each 111 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: way will be alike. Pull them out into long sticks 112 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: and twist them, make them round by rolling them under 113 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 1: the hand, or they may be cut into small pieces 114 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: with a pair of shears or scissors. Yeah. So in 115 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: terms of that, it's more a matter of put in 116 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: stripes to make them colorful and festive, not so much 117 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 1: with any kind of meaning. Uh. And while we may 118 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: not be able to trace the invention of candy canes 119 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: back to its origin point. We do know a bit 120 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:00,159 Speaker 1: more about the mass production of candy canes and or 121 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: that started. Bob's Candies, founded by a man named Bob 122 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:08,039 Speaker 1: McCormick in Albany, Georgia, was the first confectionery company to 123 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: start mass producing candy canes, which they did in the 124 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:15,119 Speaker 1: early nineteen twenties. Incidentally, Bob's Candies was also the first 125 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: to offer cellophane wrapped candy canes. Tracy, I don't know 126 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: about you, but I accidentally ingested a lot of cellophane 127 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: as a child because I cannot always peel it off 128 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: the candy cane. Initially, the hooks that were being added 129 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: to the canes were done by hand before the candy 130 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 1: cooled and hardened. But this method had a high rate 131 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 1: of waste because more than one fifth of the candy 132 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: canes broke and consequently could not be sold. Bob McCormack's 133 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: brother in law, a priest by the name of Gregory 134 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: Harding Keller, invented a machine to automate the hook shaping process, 135 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: which had a much lower rate of candy breakage. The 136 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: Keller machine, not to be confused with the one on Doctor, 137 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 1: who was further refined by Too Bob's Candies employees named 138 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: Dick Skull and Jimmy Spratling. And then after that almost 139 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: all the candy canes produced were perfect. This novel invention, 140 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 1: which was really the start of the modern candy cane industry. 141 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: One killer his fifteen minutes of fame. He even appeared 142 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: on the game show What's My Line so contestants could 143 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 1: guess his profession. Yeah, I would imagine that was a stumper. 144 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: Most priests do not also invent machinery for the confectionery trade. Um. 145 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: There is a great picture of him that I found 146 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: online and he's in his full like you know, priest 147 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: caller and everything, standing next to this machine, and it's 148 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: very charming. Next up, we're going to talk about a 149 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: winter beverage that's been having a bit of a resurgence 150 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: in popularity in recent years, and that is Wostle. But 151 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: first we're gonna take a quick break for a word 152 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: from one of our fantastic sponsors. Okay, so, if you're 153 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 1: like me for a long time, maybe you aren't sure 154 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 1: if you've ever had Wostle before. Odds are yes, because 155 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: there are a lot of different versions of it, like, 156 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: there's no one this is what equals true wostle. So 157 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: probably something you have had could fall into the very 158 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: loose definition. Uh. And also there's a bit of confusion 159 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:14,840 Speaker 1: about whether wastle is a thing you drink or a 160 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: thing you do, and it's actually both, and we'll get 161 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: into that. It's a word that has pretty soft edges 162 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: around its definition. Of course, there's also a wattle song, 163 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 1: which I'm not going to sing to you because no 164 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: one needs to be subjected to that. You might have 165 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:34,079 Speaker 1: heard it with the reference to whastle substed out with 166 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 1: another term, So it's the one that goes here we 167 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 1: come a whastling among the leaves so green, Here we 168 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 1: come a wandering so fair to be seen. Love and 169 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 1: joy come to you and to your your whastle too, 170 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: and God bless you and send you a happy New Year. 171 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: So sometimes a wastl ing has swapped out for a 172 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 1: caroling and instead of to you your whastle, it's something 173 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: along the lines of plaid Christmas or a merry Christmas. Yeah. 174 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 1: The the really popular version in the United States that 175 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: was recorded by Perry Como definitely subs out wostl ing. 176 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 1: For h a carol ing and Glad Christmas, and there 177 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 1: have been other recordings as well that do the same. 178 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,079 Speaker 1: I'm not sure if that was because they didn't want 179 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: any reference to alcohol, or if it was because they 180 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: thought people might not know what watling was. But in 181 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: any case, Uh, it gets subbed out. But you know 182 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 1: the song, even if you don't think you do. It 183 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 1: always makes me think of the version of Little Women's 184 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:33,599 Speaker 1: starring a writer. Uh. And one of the earliest mentions 185 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: of wasastle as a form of toasting and well wishing 186 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:39,959 Speaker 1: is found in the Old English epic Beowulf, most likely 187 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: penned somewhat sometime between the eighth and tenth century. It's 188 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: exact data is unknown, and the word is evolved from 189 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,560 Speaker 1: the greeting vest hill, an Old Norse, and it's Old 190 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: English counterpart washaw, both of which convey a wish to 191 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 1: someone for their good health or good fortune. But aside 192 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: from a fairly clear connection to root words, the path 193 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 1: of the wastle tradition through time is a very winding 194 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: one with many branches. According to Robert Dors writing for 195 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 1: the Colonial Williamsburg Journal, it was England's Danish speaking community 196 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: that started using it as a toast, but it caught 197 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:16,600 Speaker 1: on so quickly throughout the country that by the time 198 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,959 Speaker 1: William the Duke of Normandy brought the Norman French army 199 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: to the Battle of Hastings in ten sixty six to 200 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 1: have an episode about an archive, the invaders believed that 201 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 1: it was an English custom. Yeah, so even though it 202 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: probably did not originate with um natives of England, they 203 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: adopted it so quickly that it's now very much associated 204 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: with England. And one of the more specific origin stories 205 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: of the wastle toast is the tale of Vordigern and Rowena. Vortigern, 206 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: a fifth century British king, was allegedly struck with Rowena 207 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 1: his beauty, and when she approached him and uttered the 208 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:55,720 Speaker 1: greeting wassaal, he, after conferring with an interpreter, answered drink 209 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,959 Speaker 1: how and then the two shared a drink of spiced wine, 210 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: which would have been a luxury item. Uh. And while 211 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: this story is unverifiable and it has taken on many 212 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 1: variations throughout time, uh, including versions that happened later where 213 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: they were sharing a cup with a whole group of people. 214 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,079 Speaker 1: And there was also a play which was allegedly written 215 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,480 Speaker 1: by Shakespeare, but was eventually revealed as a forgery. Uh. 216 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: This exchange of greetings continues into modern time, although now 217 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:25,320 Speaker 1: it is not linked to romance as the original story was, 218 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: but merely to revelry and merriment, like as a call 219 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 1: in response to people to start sort of a drinking party. 220 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: By the thirteenth century, this idea of a communal drinking 221 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 1: vessel filled with wastle had become popular. This was a 222 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: bowl of the drink which she would dip baked goods 223 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:45,959 Speaker 1: into to like soak up the wazzle. And this is 224 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: allegedly where the use of the word toast comes from 225 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,320 Speaker 1: to mean a greeting before a group drinks together, because 226 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: pieces of toast were sometimes dipped or floated in the 227 00:12:55,600 --> 00:13:03,120 Speaker 1: wastle bowl, so wet alcoholic toast, putting that out there. Uh. 228 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:05,959 Speaker 1: The wostle bawl became part of a roving street party 229 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 1: practice in the fifteen hundreds, so revelers also called wostlers, 230 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,439 Speaker 1: would visit homes sort of similar to the way that 231 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 1: carolers might, offering drinks and well wishes, and some locations, 232 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: whastling was part of the pagan winter Souls dis festable saturnalia, 233 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: dressing into skies or inverting social roles was part of 234 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: this practice, and it became a time when the wealthy 235 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: would share their bounty with people who had less financial fortune, 236 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 1: although there were also accounts that suggests that the sharing 237 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 1: had been demanded by drunken mobs rather than being offered magnanimously. Yeah. 238 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 1: So some you know versions of this were a case 239 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,280 Speaker 1: where people would pass this wastle bowl around, maybe get 240 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: a little bit of liquid courage, and then go to 241 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: the rich guy's house and demand that he share his 242 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: wealth with them, or it was you know, uh, Feudal 243 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: lords would then kind of have the people under them 244 00:13:57,840 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 1: come to their house and go, hey, you should share 245 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: of this. That is a very very watered down version 246 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 1: of it. Um. The pagan wattle tradition was also part 247 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:09,280 Speaker 1: of farming life in Britain. Farmers would drink to the 248 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:11,720 Speaker 1: health of their animals and their orchards, and they would 249 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:14,440 Speaker 1: leave wastle soaked bread in trees or just pour the 250 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: wastle directly onto tree trunks, and this could also involve 251 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: groups of farmers and their families moving from one farm 252 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: to another throughout the course of an evening to wish 253 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: prosperity on the crops of everyone in the community. So obviously, 254 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: all of these various iterations of watling also evolved to 255 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: coincide with the different beliefs and celebrations in different areas. 256 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:39,359 Speaker 1: While there were pagan roots to some of the farm practices, 257 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 1: which included the desire to ward off bad spirits from 258 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: orchards as part of Christian holidays, wostling became part of 259 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: Twelfth Night festivities and in more relaxed definitions of wastling. 260 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 1: The word has been used in a modern way to 261 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 1: refer to almost any instance of in winter where neighbors 262 00:14:57,280 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 1: visit each other and bring some sort of watle or 263 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 1: their libation to enjoy together. Yeah, like I said, it's 264 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 1: got very soft edges on the definition of this word. Uh. 265 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:10,480 Speaker 1: And all of this drinking around the holidays, we should 266 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,960 Speaker 1: point out, was not always looked upon as good cheer. 267 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 1: So in both England and the North American colonies where 268 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:21,119 Speaker 1: the whostling tradition had moved along with the colonists, seventeenth 269 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 1: century Puritan church leaders were not enthused with the practice 270 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 1: of drinking to celebrate a Christian holiday, and the crossover 271 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: with Saturnalia on the calendar further rankled them. Uh. There were, 272 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 1: in fact, attempts to banish whostle and whostling and many 273 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:42,840 Speaker 1: other Christmas activities completely, while the practice and the beverage survived, 274 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: and they were romanticized in nineteenth century literature. As part 275 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:50,800 Speaker 1: of a traditional English Christmas celebration, carrying a giant bowl 276 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: of punch door to door is maybe a little too 277 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,280 Speaker 1: cumbersome to remain a popular practice. Yeah, there are still 278 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: places where people do it, and and villages uh and 279 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:02,600 Speaker 1: towns where it is a big part of the tradition, 280 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 1: but it's really not as common as it would have 281 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 1: been several hundred years ago. Um. And we mentioned earlier 282 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: that if the story of Rowena and Vortigern were true, 283 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: the wine spiced with ingredients that would have been imported 284 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 1: would have been highly valuable. But while that drink was 285 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: merely present according to the lore at the moment when 286 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 1: the idea of wastling was born, and would not have 287 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: been called wostle itself. There are plenty of other drinks 288 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 1: that have been called wostle through the ages. So some 289 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 1: were made with more affordable spiced ale rather than wine. 290 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: Some replicated that more expensive wine with spices. Some have 291 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 1: been made by whipping beer or ale into a froth 292 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 1: and then dropping roasted crab apples into the foam. There 293 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: are a lot of versions, and then, of course, considering 294 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 1: the orchard focused traditions of watling and more rural areas, 295 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: it's really no surprise that most modern wastle recipes are 296 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: really apple centric. If you search online, you'll find that 297 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,200 Speaker 1: most start with apple cider and then add some combo 298 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: of other fruit juices, including orange, pineapple, and even cranberry. 299 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: The whole cider fruit juice mixture is cooked with spices 300 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,640 Speaker 1: like nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger, and some include eggs. 301 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,560 Speaker 1: The drink is served hot, often with a fruit garnish 302 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 1: or a piece of fruit stewed in the beverage as 303 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: it's simmered, and then alcoholic wastle recipes can start with 304 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: cider and spices combined with sherry, brandy, rum, muld wine, 305 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 1: and so on. I feel like I should confess that 306 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:38,760 Speaker 1: this is not my thing. It's fine, not at all. 307 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: I feel like a bad celebrant, but I'm like, please 308 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 1: don't hand me hot sugar water. Well, I am fond 309 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 1: of like a hot mulled cider um with like lots 310 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:56,200 Speaker 1: of cinnamon and whatnot. Um, I am not find fond 311 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: of the idea of communally drinking from the same bowl 312 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: maybe strangers. That's true. That's another thing that I didn't 313 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,679 Speaker 1: mention in in these notes that there is also like 314 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 1: a hygiene element that may have made this lose a 315 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:14,040 Speaker 1: little bit of favor over the years. Um. Yeah, to me, 316 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: I mean I have that thing where it was somewhere 317 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 1: along the line ingrained in me that apple cider served 318 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:23,240 Speaker 1: warm is very dangerous as a potential haven of bacteria, 319 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,199 Speaker 1: and my brain cannot get past that possibility. Even if 320 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:29,400 Speaker 1: someone shows me all of the ways they have maintained 321 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:34,160 Speaker 1: safety and food standards throughout prep and serving, I'm still 322 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:37,879 Speaker 1: like all I see is auger well, as a person 323 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: who worked in food safety for part of my career, Like, 324 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: it is true that, um that like fresh pressed apple 325 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:51,200 Speaker 1: ciders and stuff, if they're not pasteurized, can be dangerous. Um. My, 326 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:55,880 Speaker 1: my dad kind of caught around this. Uh. Often the 327 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 1: the apple cider would be way too hot to put 328 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:00,119 Speaker 1: it in your mouth when you put it in to 329 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,920 Speaker 1: the cup, like you needed to give so had there 330 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 1: been anything in it, it was dead. Yeah. I'm more 331 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: of an eggnog drinker than a wattle drinker. But here's 332 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:17,440 Speaker 1: to anyone who likes their wastle. I do love eggnog. Yeah, 333 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 1: me too. Uh. We are going to move on to 334 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,560 Speaker 1: some more sober, but very delicious baked goods. We'll talk 335 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,320 Speaker 1: all about gingerbread right after we first pause for a 336 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:39,119 Speaker 1: little sponsor break. Gingerbread is closely associated with Christmas celebrations, 337 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 1: but its history is truly international, and it is not 338 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 1: tied in its origins to any holiday. Gingerbread has been 339 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:48,520 Speaker 1: popular in some form or another. We'll talk about its 340 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:52,160 Speaker 1: many forms for hundreds of years. There's even a reference 341 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: to it in Shakespeare's Loves Labor's Lost, because it was 342 00:19:55,440 --> 00:20:00,400 Speaker 1: so wildly popular already by the sixteenth century. The earliest 343 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: known existence of gingerbread is all the way back in 344 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: ancient Greece around Or It was used in ceremonies. Ancient 345 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:12,520 Speaker 1: Egyptians also used some form of baked ginger spice food 346 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 1: and ritual customs. The earliest known instance of an Asian 347 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,320 Speaker 1: baked good cooked with ginger is from China in the 348 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: tenth century. Yeah, Asian countries were using ginger in all 349 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:26,359 Speaker 1: kinds of other ways, but this is specifically two baked 350 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: goods um and we know gingerbread was in Europe by 351 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:34,000 Speaker 1: the eleventh century, possibly almost entirely, likely brought back from 352 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:37,679 Speaker 1: the Crusades, and for the remainder of the medieval period, 353 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:41,679 Speaker 1: gingerbread's popularity grew and it spread throughout Europe, and it 354 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:45,760 Speaker 1: actually became a staple at festivals. But through this early period, 355 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:49,120 Speaker 1: while words that equated roughly to gingerbread were being used 356 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 1: in various languages, it did not really refer to what 357 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,719 Speaker 1: we call gingerbread today, and there really was not a 358 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:59,439 Speaker 1: consistent meaning for it at all then, so sometimes it 359 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:02,680 Speaker 1: would simply be referred to preserve ginger that was edible. 360 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:06,959 Speaker 1: Early versions of gingerbread is a baked item in Europe 361 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 1: included ginger, of course, but also ground almonds, stale bread crumbs, rose, water, 362 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:14,840 Speaker 1: and sugar. And then this made a paste that could 363 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 1: be pressed into molds before baking, and the dense mixture 364 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: retained the shape of those molds really well. And as 365 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 1: gingerbread's popularity grew, so did the variety of shapes that 366 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,639 Speaker 1: it was baked in, and the level of detail that 367 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:32,120 Speaker 1: was used in the molds also got a lot more intense, uh, 368 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:35,120 Speaker 1: and it wasn't long before animals and flora were crafted 369 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:38,440 Speaker 1: from gingerbread. Soon this baked treat became a way to 370 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,600 Speaker 1: mark current events and theme the gingerbread to specific celebrations. 371 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: By the fifteenth century, though, the various translations of the 372 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,879 Speaker 1: word gingerbread all started to refer to some sort of 373 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 1: ginger cake, with varying degrees of denseness along the spectrum 374 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: between spongy cake and hard cookie. Even today, the term 375 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 1: gingerbread can refer to a cake or a cookie and 376 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:03,160 Speaker 1: rest he's a really very pretty greatly You've probably had thin, 377 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 1: crisp ginger cookies, thick bready cookies, and everything in between, 378 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: with Baker's experimenting and regional ingredient differences that have led 379 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:16,040 Speaker 1: to a huge wealth of different kinds of gingerbread, and 380 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:20,240 Speaker 1: over time, of course, the recipe shifted. By the sixteenth century, 381 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 1: flour was used instead of bread crumbs, and eggs and 382 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: other sweet spices were incorporated, and it was actually during 383 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,760 Speaker 1: the sixteenth century that the first gingerbread man was allegedly baked. 384 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 1: So according to accounts, Queen Elizabeth the First had miniature 385 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:38,520 Speaker 1: gingerbread replicas of prominent guests baked, and so when they 386 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,439 Speaker 1: arrived at court to visitors were presented with their tiny, 387 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:44,880 Speaker 1: tasty doppelgangers that might creep me out a little bit, 388 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:49,040 Speaker 1: they were apparently delighted it was. It was a cute 389 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:52,880 Speaker 1: little thing, not something spooky. I'm just imagining like a 390 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: very meticulous, uncanny valley kind of gingerbread representation of myself 391 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: given to meat to eat that might be weird. So 392 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 1: gingerbread had also become a token of luck. Was sometimes 393 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 1: given to nights by ladies wishing them well in tournaments. 394 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,359 Speaker 1: Hard gingerbread was also crumbled and use it as a 395 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:13,480 Speaker 1: topping on other foods, not for luck, but to hide 396 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,399 Speaker 1: the set of items that had maybe lost their freshness. 397 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 1: Ginger to the rescue again, yeah they're allegedly. Meat that 398 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:24,159 Speaker 1: was maybe starting to turn would sometimes be treated in 399 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: this way to cover its smell um. An additional gingerbread 400 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,679 Speaker 1: lore started to crop up, so some believed that if 401 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: a maiden ate a gingerbread man intended to represent a husband, 402 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,200 Speaker 1: that they would put sort of cosmic forces of luck 403 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:41,240 Speaker 1: in motion to bring her a marriage. Ginger is also 404 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,560 Speaker 1: well known as a stomach settler, so it's not surprising 405 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 1: that by the hundreds gingerbread was also being tatted for 406 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:51,680 Speaker 1: its ability to soothe your tummy. Henry the Eighth that 407 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: said to have hoped that ginger baked goods would stave 408 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,440 Speaker 1: off illnesses. I mean, I have to wonder if that's 409 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 1: just a case of like this is delicious, it's medicinal. Uh, 410 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,120 Speaker 1: I don't know. I think there's there is some definite 411 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 1: suggestion that chewing candied ginger can help if you have 412 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: motion sickness. Oh for sure, I'm literally meaning Henry the 413 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:19,000 Speaker 1: Eighth going gingerbread cures all got yeah? Yeah. Uh. Gingerbread 414 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: became so beloved in England that entire fairs popped up 415 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,479 Speaker 1: just to celebrate it. So it had been sort of 416 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:28,400 Speaker 1: a food that was served at other fairs and festivals, 417 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:32,639 Speaker 1: but eventually there were literal gingerbread festivals, and then gingerbread 418 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:35,399 Speaker 1: morsels that were served at these events got the nicknames 419 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: fairings for the wealthy. Gingerbread was even decorated with gold leaf, 420 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 1: and the idea of gingerbread became associated with finely detailed 421 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:49,640 Speaker 1: design and luxury. Yeah even today sometimes uh you will 422 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:55,440 Speaker 1: hear of houses being built with um gingerbread style details, 423 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 1: and usually that means very sort of meticulous, slightly uh, 424 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,400 Speaker 1: you know, I want to say fussy, and that can 425 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,720 Speaker 1: have a negative connotation, but that's not my intent. Just 426 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:05,920 Speaker 1: with a lot of you know, kind of ornate work 427 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:08,919 Speaker 1: on them. That is still used as a reference. And 428 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:12,160 Speaker 1: in the US gingerbread is a tradition as old as 429 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:16,879 Speaker 1: the colonies themselves. George Washington's mother's gingerbread recipe is still 430 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:20,000 Speaker 1: shared and baked our previous guest that was on the podcast, 431 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,639 Speaker 1: and Burn included it in her book American Cakes, And 432 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 1: after the colonies gained independence from Great Britain, gingerbread baked 433 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,919 Speaker 1: into the shape of an eagle actually became popular, and 434 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 1: some American politicians over the years even took gingerbread on 435 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 1: the road to share with prospective voters in an effort 436 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: to gain favor. Gingerbread cookies and German traditions took on 437 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,879 Speaker 1: a roll that was similar to that of conversation hearts 438 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: traded in the US around Valentine's Day. Leb cooking, as 439 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:53,560 Speaker 1: these cookies are called, often heart shaped with little sweet nothings. 440 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:59,160 Speaker 1: Stole messages written on them in icing in cities throughout Germany, 441 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 1: as well as paul Land, Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic. 442 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:06,199 Speaker 1: In France, gingerbread became so revered and so vital to 443 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:10,120 Speaker 1: regional culture that gingerbread guilds were established, and in some 444 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:15,479 Speaker 1: European cities antique gingerbread molds are still on display in museums. UH. 445 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:18,560 Speaker 1: They will occasionally also press like bees wax into them 446 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,800 Speaker 1: to make limited edition ornaments that are super duper popular. 447 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:26,000 Speaker 1: Germany is also the home of the first gingerbread house, 448 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: often said to have been inspired by the candy House 449 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:32,240 Speaker 1: and the Gram's fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. That story 450 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:34,919 Speaker 1: was originally published in eighteen twelve as part of the 451 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:38,919 Speaker 1: book Graham's Feries Gramm's fairy Tales, and there may also 452 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:41,920 Speaker 1: have been gingerbread houses even before that, as far back 453 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: as the sixteenth century. But the brothers Grimm's writing made 454 00:26:46,119 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 1: the cookie do missiles more popular. Yeah, they really exploded 455 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: in terms of their popularity after that came out. So 456 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:58,480 Speaker 1: from Germany, the tradition of creating feats of confectionery architecture 457 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: spread UH, although it never really caught on in Europe. 458 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,680 Speaker 1: In sort of like the the widespread way that it 459 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,479 Speaker 1: did in the United States, where gingerbread houses are really 460 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: popular new today, gingerbread houses are so popular that there's 461 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:16,679 Speaker 1: ongoing international competition to build massive ones that are as 462 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:19,720 Speaker 1: large as real houses. The current record holder is a 463 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:24,040 Speaker 1: house built in Bryan, Texas by a group called Traditions Club. 464 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,160 Speaker 1: And then that house is sixty by forty two ft, 465 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:29,719 Speaker 1: which is eighteen point three by twelve point eight meters, 466 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,959 Speaker 1: had more than two thousand square feet of interior space. 467 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:36,320 Speaker 1: Visitors could pay to have a visit with Santa Claus 468 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,840 Speaker 1: at the house, and with all the proceeds going toward 469 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:43,040 Speaker 1: a new trauma center at St. Joseph's Hospital. That is 470 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,720 Speaker 1: a lot of gingerbread. It's a whole lot of gingerbread 471 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 1: on a much smaller scale. Prior podcast subject, The Grove 472 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:55,160 Speaker 1: Park in has a uh gingerbread house competition every year. 473 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:59,119 Speaker 1: But they're little ones, little incredibly ornate ones. Yeah. The 474 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,560 Speaker 1: We have talked about Disney a couple of times in 475 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 1: Disney's Haunted Mansions. If any of our guests are in 476 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:10,440 Speaker 1: Disney World around the holidays, one of the coolest things 477 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:12,400 Speaker 1: you can do is spend a day not going into 478 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 1: any of the parks in Disney World, but going from 479 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:17,720 Speaker 1: hotel to hotel because they all have their own special 480 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:21,040 Speaker 1: gingerbread house display um and some of them are amazing 481 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,199 Speaker 1: and I love like the Polynesian usually has like a 482 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:25,919 Speaker 1: really cute little Hawaiian style one that is sort of 483 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,639 Speaker 1: goofy and sweet. But if you are in Anaheim at 484 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:33,639 Speaker 1: Disneyland during the holidays and you go see the Haunted 485 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:36,800 Speaker 1: Mansion holiday where they do the Nightmare before Christmas overlay, 486 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:40,560 Speaker 1: usually in the ballroom, there is like an astonishing feat 487 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 1: of gingerbread physics going on. Um and it just smells 488 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:49,880 Speaker 1: amazing in there, and it's really lovely. Who doesn't love gingerbread. Yeah, 489 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:54,960 Speaker 1: it's so good. I would make I think we should 490 00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 1: start making gingerbread year around. And I also if you 491 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:00,480 Speaker 1: have not had a gingerbread cake versus the Keys, I 492 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 1: highly recommend it because some of those are really delicious. 493 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:13,200 Speaker 1: Um Bay so much for joining us on this Saturday. 494 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 1: Since this episode is out of the archive, if you 495 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:17,760 Speaker 1: heard an email address or Facebook U r L or 496 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,480 Speaker 1: something similar over the course of the show, that could 497 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:24,960 Speaker 1: be obsolete. Now. Our current email address is History Podcast 498 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:29,000 Speaker 1: at I Heart Radio. Dot com. Our old health stuff works, 499 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,080 Speaker 1: email address no longer works, and you can find us 500 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 1: all over social media at missed in History. 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