Medieval Gyngerbrede (Medieval Gingerbread) is a traditional Medieval recipe for a classic gingerbread made of honey, breadcrumbs and ginger that's the fore-runner of modern gingerbreads. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Medieval version of: Medieval Gingerbread (Medieval Gyngerbrede).
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Original Recipe
Gyngerbrede
(from Harleian MS 279)
Gyngerbrede. Take a quart of hony, & sethe it, & skeme it clene; take Safroun, pouder Pepir, & þrow ther-on; take gratyd Brede, & make it so chargeaunt þat it wol be y-leched; þen take pouder Canelle, & straw þer-on y-now; þen make yt square, lyke as þou wolt leche it; take when þou lechyst hyt, an caste Box leaves a-bouyn, y-stkyd þer-on, on clowys. And if þou wolt haue it Red, coloure it with Saunderys y-now.
Translation
Gingerbread. Take a quart of honey, & boil it, & skim it clean; take saffron, pepper, & throw on; take grated bread, and make it so thick that it can be sliced; then take cinnamon, & strew on; then make it square, like you would have it sliced; and when you slice it, stick in cloves. And if you'd like it red, colour it with sandalwood.
Bring the honey to the boil and skim off any scum. Keeping the saucepan over very low heat, stir in the breadcrumbs and spices. When the mixture is a thick, well-blended, mass (add more breadcrumbs if necessary), remove from heat and allow to cool slightly .
Place on a flat surface and press firmly into an evenly shaped square or rectangle, about 0.6cm thick. Allow to cool, cut into small squares to serve.
Garnish each square by sticking a whole clove in the top centre.
Add a few drops of red food colouring when adding the spices, 'if thou wolt haue it Red'.
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