A Little Spice In Life

Last week I suffered a short bout of abdominal distress, likely caused by eating the wrong food.  My grand daughter brought me some ginger ale and crackers.  I like ginger ale, but it's just one of those things I forget about most of the time.  It does seem to help with stomach distress.  Some say it's merely a placebo effect, and that may be.  Who cares, if it seems to work?

Ginger beer has been around since about the mid 1800's, I believe.  Later, a different carbonation process eliminated the alcohol though the taste appeared to stay pretty much the same.  So now, it's used more as a mixer for alcohol if the buzz is desired.  But it does have a great taste that is decidedly different from other colas and sodas.

The ginger taste has been used since about the eleventh century in Europe.  The spice is a preservative for pastries and bread, which is a great asset.  But the taste is delectable as well.  Sometimes the spicy batter was mixed up and served as a cake, sometimes as a flat cake - often cut in shapes denoting humans, animals or celestial stars, and often as a thick slice of bread.  You know what?  I like them all.  Again, a taste that is often set aside for long periods of time until I rediscover a recipe or boxed mix and just have to indulge.

And let's not forget the Christmas season when you often see gingerbread houses decorated a la Hansel and Gretel style with enough candy to boggle the mind of any wicked witch enticing hungry children into her home.  Our local Max Milam Library has an annual event of decorating them as an event for the kids in the area.  They actually use graham crackers for the houses, and when you have about 150 kids show up for the event you can see the necessity of fast, sturdy construction.

I have consumed more ginger ale this week, for the taste enjoyed last week slung a craving on me.  I  have yet to bake any gingerbread, but it could very well be in my near future.  And I will certainly enjoy the treat.

Do you have a special treat that may go forgotten for periods of time?  I'd love to know.