Toruń’s relationship with gingerbread needs no introduction, as both locals and tourists are familiar with this culinary icon.
Upcoming promotional events offer innovative gingerbread-based delights, including an unconventional yet tasty gingerbread “hunter’s stew” (bigos - a Polish dish of chopped meat of various kinds stewed with sauerkraut, shredded fresh cabbage and spices), unveiled by Marzena Lewandowska of the “Ale-babki” Rural Housewives Circle.
The promotion will also see a series of 24 movie productions highlighting gingerbread in gastronomy and regional points of interest like the windmill in Bierzgłów.
The campaign, culminating in a gingerbread-centric cookbook, aims to draw national and international attention to the region’s charm, Szymon Poliński of the “Kopernik” Confectionery Factory stressed.
Sweet piece of history
The tradition of baking cakes with honey and spices came to Toruń with the first settlers from German cities.
The first mention of this iconic delicacy being baked there comes from around 1380 and speaks of a baker, Mikołaj Czan, who probably, in addition to bread, was engaged in baking spiced pastries.
It is quite difficult to settle today what the gingerbread-making process was like in the Middle Ages as
recipes were closely guarded and passed down orally from generation to generation.
For this reason, the oldest-known recorded recipe for Toruń gingerbread
dates back only to 1725. Interestingly, however, it was not found in a cookbook, but in the popular medical compendium.
All because of the medicinal properties of the spices that were added to the dough such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and aniseed, among others.
