聖誕餅乾和薑餅小人兒究竟是怎麼來的？

Like many Christmas traditions, the origin of this delicious custom lies ages ago, in solstice rituals conducted long before Christmas became the huge commercial holiday it is today. Winter solstice festivals have been held for eons, across the world. Celebrations revolved around food.
像許多聖誕節傳統一樣，這道好吃的傳統美食也有好多年曆史了，早在聖誕節變成現在這種商業節日之前好久，薑餅就已經是冬至儀式的一部分了。人類慶祝冬至日已經有幾千年的歷史的，而食物一直是慶祝活動的中心。

By the Middle Ages, the Christmas holiday had overtaken solstice rituals throughout much of present-day Europe. However, the old feast traditions remained. The pastry world was experiencing some amazing changes. Spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper were just starting to be widely used, and dried exotic fruits like citron, apricots and dates added sweetness and texture to the dessert tray.
到中世紀，今天歐洲的大部分地區已經用聖誕節取代了冬至，然而舊的筵席傳統卻保留了下來。不過，麪點做法發生了巨大變化。像肉豆蔻、肉桂和黑胡椒這樣的香辛料開始被廣泛應用，像香櫞、杏和大棗這樣的熱帶果乾則爲甜點增添了甜度和質地。

These items, along with ingredients like sugar, lard and butter, would have been prized as expensive delicacies by medieval cooks. Only on the most important holiday could families afford treats like these. And unlike pies or cakes, cookies could be easily shared and given to friends and neighbors.
這些材料以及糖、葷油、黃油對中世紀的大廚來說都是昂貴的佳餚，普通家庭只有在最重要的節日才能吃上這些美味。而且餅乾跟派或者蛋糕不一樣，它可以被很方便地分享，能分給朋友和鄰居。

Though cookies have come a long way since medieval times, some things haven’t changed. Many Christmas cookies are still heavily spiced. We think of “traditional” Christmas flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
雖然，中世紀以後餅乾有很長的演變過程，但有些東西從未改變過。很多聖誕餅乾依舊大劑量地使用香辛料，我們一想到“地道的”聖誕口味就會想到肉桂、肉豆蔻和姜的味道。

Gingerbread is a classic Christmas cookie, and yet it’s also a cookie that would have tasted strikingly similar back in the Middle Ages. These cooks would not have made gingerbread men, however. The first person to try that was none other than Queen Elizabeth I of England, who had the cookie molded into the shapes of her favorite courtiers.
薑餅是一款經典款的聖誕餅乾，而且它現在的味道和中世紀時的基本一樣。然而那時卻沒有薑餅小人。第一個做薑餅小人的不是別人，正是英國女王伊麗莎白一世，她把餅乾做成了她最喜愛的大臣的形狀。