Gebildbrot facts for kids
Gebildbrot is a special type of bread or pastry. It's shaped to look like different things, such as people, bunnies, birds, or cool braided designs. People traditionally make and eat these shaped breads during certain holidays throughout the year.
Contents
The Story of Shaped Breads
How Gebildbrot Got Its Name
Long ago, some people ate spiced breads at funerals. They believed this would help keep away bad spirits.
The word Gebildbrot comes from German and means "shaped bread." A German historian named Ernst Ludwig Rochholz first used this term in the 1800s. Later, experts in folklore started to think differently. They believed that bakers simply enjoyed being creative and shaping their dough. Sometimes, the way dough needed to be baked also made it take on certain forms.
The Rise of Yeast and Shaped Breads
Most shaped breads are made from yeast dough. We know people have been using yeast for baking since the 1400s. Around the 1700s, yeast was mostly grown for making beer and schnapps. It wasn't very good for baking bread back then.
It wasn't until the 1800s that new ways of brewing beer made enough good baker's yeast available. This shows that many of the old ideas about these breads being part of ancient rituals before Christianity might not be true.
Popular Shaped Breads
Many different kinds of Gebildbrot are enjoyed around the world. Here are some well-known examples:
- Pretzels: These twisted breads were first made for the Lenten season.
- Yeast braids: These are often sweet and braided into beautiful patterns.
- Aachener Printen: A type of gingerbread from Aachen, Germany.
- Gingerbread: Often shaped like hearts, stars, the sun, or the moon.
- Gingerbread men: Made for different holidays, like St. John's bread or "Klausenmann" for Saint Nicholas Day.
- Speculaas: These flat, spiced cookies are very popular. They are traditionally made around Saint Nicholas' Day in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. They are also popular around Christmas in Germany and Austria.
- Saint Agatha's bread: Made for Saint Agatha's Day on February 5th, usually in Germany. A priest often blesses these breads before they are sold.
- Various Easter breads: These include different shapes and designs for the Easter holiday.
- Easter lamb with flag: A sweet lamb-shaped cake often seen at Easter.
- Bird-shaped pastries: Made for the Feast of the Ascension.
- Lussekatter: In Sweden, these are saffron buns shaped in different ways. They are made for Saint Lucy's Day.
- Hedwigssohlen: Also known as "shoe soles of St. Hedwig." These pastries are made in some areas for Saint Hedwig of Silesia's feast day. They remind people that she used to walk barefoot, even though her confessor told her to wear shoes.
