Christmas Houses

At Structural Engineers Reports we love a good structure and as Christmas approaches, our thoughts are turning from bricks and mortar to gingerbread and icing.

Gingerbread originated in Germany in the 16^th Century – a new sweet creation made with honey and spices brought back from exotic eastern lands. It is said that the gingerbread house itself is based on the Fairy Tale of Hansel and Gretel in which abandoned siblings find a house made of sweets and cakes in the forest, their delight turning to terror when they discover the house is occupied by an evil witch with a side line in eating children. Although the Brothers Grimm published the story in 1820 it had long been part of oral storytelling since medieval times and the symbol became deeply embedded in European culture.

These days, gingerbread houses are found across the globe in many architectural forms. In Norway at Christmas time, gingerbread towns spring up across the country, the largest being the ‘pepperkakebyen’ in Bergen. This festive spectacle features 2000 different gingerbread structures including local and international landmarks, trains, cars and boats – think edible lego land.

Now, I am no baker and am in awe of anyone who can produce a light fluffy victoria sponge or a melt in the mouth shortbread, so I thought I’d take a look at a ‘from scratch’ gingerbread house recipe to see just how that structure is put together to stay upright. I have discovered it involves a lot of icing (mortar) and patience, as there seem to be long periods of ‘holding’ and ‘waiting’ until the icing is set enough to keep the pieces together. Mini Rolls double as chimneys and chocolate fingers as log cabin style cladding (I hope the calculations have been checked to make sure everything is strong enough.) As an activity for children I think the artistic and engineering challenge may be secondary to eating the finished product, but maybe I am being a little ‘bah, humbug’ – finished houses are amazing works of both art and structural design, some even have lights inside to give a homely glow. But if it all seems a bit too much effort, there are kits…or just buy one ready-made and relax with a mulled wine to watch another Agatha Christie.