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Gingerbread Houses: A Popular, Classic Holiday Treat

You can cook with it. You can make candy from it. You can put it into drinks or take it as medicine. Ginger has many uses, but none as beautiful as when it is used in a gingerbread house.

Past and present

Ginger—he key part of gingerbread and the houses themselves—has a long history. It is believed that ginger was used as early as 2,000 B. C. in China. Gingerbread houses were first written about during the 15th century. But it was the 19'th century fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" that started the trend. As European immigrants made their way around the world, so did gingerbread houses!

One example occurred in the town of Belleville in the 1850s. As large numbers of German immigrants moved there, many brought along their gingerbread house recipes. Today, during the holidays, Belleville hosts a "Gingerbread Walk" through its downtown area. Along the path, shop owners display beautifully-made gingerbread houses and other gingerbread creations. The event allows visitors and locals alike to enjoy Belleville's tastiest tradition.

The world's largest

In 2006, Roger Pelcher constructed the world's largest gingerbread house in Bloomington, Minn. Measuring over 60 feet tall, the house took Pelcher's team l,700 hours to complete. To achieve the world record, Guinness World Records said 95 percent of the outside had to be eatable. So Pelcher used 14, 250 pounds of gingerbread and over a ton of candy on the house!

Winning houses

At Christmas time, people from Sweden to Seattle enter their creations in gingerbread house contests. Winners receive prizes for the most difficult to build, most creative, most beautiful as well as other categories. But winning contests isn't the main reason why making these houses is so popular. The wonderful smell as the gingerbread bakes and the joy of eating it are the real reasons!

DIY

Online directions and ready-to-assemble kits make creating gingerbread houses easier than ever before. You can make them as simple or as complex as you choose, Experience a "taste" of the holidays with your own gingerbread house this year!

45. We learn from the text that______________.

A. the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" made gingerbread houses popular in the world

B. "Gingerbread Walk" has attracted people to enjoy Belleville's tastiest tradition

C. gingerbread houses were brought to Belleville by Asian immigrants

D. gingerbread house making started in ancient China

40. What makes gingerbread houses so popular?

A. An interesting origin.

B. Extraordinary prizes to winners.

C. The smell and enjoyment of eating.

D. Creations in gingerbread-house contests.