Editing Gingerbread (section)

==Etymology==
Originally, the term ''gingerbread'' (from [[Latin]] {{Lang|la|zingiber}} via [[Old French]] ''{{Lang|fro|gingebras}}'') referred to preserved [[ginger]]. It then referred to a confection made with honey and spices. ''Gingerbread'' is often used to translate the French term ''[[pain d'épices]]'' ({{lit|spice bread}}) or the German and Polish terms ''[[Pfefferkuchen]]'' and ''[[Pryanik|Piernik]]'' respectively ({{lit|pepper cake}} because it used to contain pepper) or ''[[Lebkuchen]]'' (of unclear etymology; either Latin ''{{Lang|la|libum}}'', meaning "sacrifice" or "sacrificial bread," or German ''{{Lang|de|Laib}}'' for loaf or German for life, ''{{Lang|de|Leben}}''). Pepper is also referred to in regional names like Norwegian ''{{Lang|no|pepperkaker}}'' or Czech ''{{Lang|cs|perník}}'' (originally ''peprník'').<ref>{{Cite news|date=2010-04-14|title=Pardubický perník prý dovede probouzet lásku|work=Novinky.cz|url=https://www.novinky.cz/zena/zdravi/clanek/pardubicky-pernik-pry-dovede-probouzet-lasku-30686|access-date=2020-12-20}}</ref>

The meaning of ''gingerbread'' has evolved over time. For centuries the term referred to a traditional European pastry, very like a modern [[cookie]], traditionally used to make [[Gingerbread man|gingerbread men]]. In the United States the first known recipe for "Soft gingerbread to be baked in pans" is found in [[Amelia Simmons (author)|Amelia Simmons]]' 1796 cookbook, ''[[American Cookery]]''.<ref name=wilson>{{cite journal |last=Wilson |first=Tolford |title=Amelia Simmons Fills a Need: American Cookery, 1796 |journal=The William and Mary Quarterly |volume=14 |issue=1 |date=1957 |pages=16–30|doi=10.2307/1917369 |jstor=1917369 }}</ref>