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Toddlers, Lambs and Even Unicorns

Toddlers, Lambs and Even Unicorns

You’ve probably thought the unicorn shapes are new to the world of confectionery, much like the healthy option of choosing honey over sugar. However, these trends are much older than one would expect.
 

You’ll catch more flies with honey than with sugar

The first candy dates back all the way to ancient Egypt, around 3,400 BC. But can these first attempts be called candy? Sugar had not been invented at that time. Everything was sweetened using honey. Even the Greeks and the Romans used honey, even though they were importing sugarcane juice from India at that time. Back then, sugarcane juice served as a remedy, and they kept its production a secret. It was cracked only later, in the 7th century AD, by the Arabs, who spread its use with the expansion of their territory. Sugar was first refined in the 14th century. Confectionery as a trade began to crystalize with the development of sugar refineries in the early 19th century.

Since the predecessor of sugar was honey, the confectionery trade was preceded by the honey-utilizing trade of gingerbread making. It first showed up in Central Europe in the 13th century. The first written mention of the sale of gingerbread in our lands dates back to 1335, with the city of Turnov as its patron. Every seller back then had to pay a fee to the magistrate for the sale permit. The amount was 3 coins – not silver, but gingerbread ones.  

What were the original shapes of the old Bohemian treats? The most popular were horses, religious symbols, St. Nicholas and Krampus or girls and boys in folk costumes. The gingerbread also came in the shape of a toddler, farmer, chimney sweeper or soldier. The animal shapes included a horse, lamb or deer. The gingerbread makers also created trinkets in the shape of dolls, cribs or ponies, which were not edible but served as children’s toys. They even came in the shapes of alphabet letters and were used as teaching aids.


The moulds were made of aged hardwood. The symbol was carved into the mould and then imprinted on the pressed-in dough. However, moulds for bigger baked goods, such as marble cakes or millet cakes, were mainly ceramic and later enamel or cast iron. They were often shaped like circles or hearts. Sometimes they came in the shapes of babies or animals for special occasions. The most common animal was fish, followed by crayfish, lamb, swan or even a unicorn.


 

And when did cookie cutters appear on the scene?  


The first metal cookie cutters emerged only in the late 19th century. The finished products were decorated with egg-white icing or illustrations and wrapped in tinfoil. At that time, they became quite popular at fairs. They came in the shapes of hussars or knights, but the most popular shape was the gingerbread heart.

The metal tools also allowed for new types of baked goods from Linzer, chocolate and other types of dough made for special occasions like Christmas. They were divided into two types: moulds and cookie cutters. Both types are still used to this day, and both can be found in our main product range.

The first type was a small metal mould used by pressing in the dough or pouring in the chocolate. The metal was usually coated with zinc or tin. It is still used today, although the material is often replaced by Teflon. The shapes include animals, flowers, figures and stars. And then it is business as usual; the rounded bottom is decorated with grooves which give the finished product its shape. The edges are either dull or sharp to make better cut-outs from the dough. 

The dough was first rolled out and then cut out in various shapes. The ends of the metal stripe are fused together by soldering. The bottom edge was sharp, and the upper one was made rounder to be more user-friendly. Today is no different. Our business follows the legacy of this long-lived tradition. We create original floral, animal or figural shapes and also add modern shapes to the mix.

Are any of them missing in your kitchen? Explore our e-shop!