Learn the tricks of making gingerbread
Gingerbread making has a long tradition. The main ingredients you will need are flour, honey and eggs. Although, decorating a gingerbread traditionally is time-consuming work, here, at Covasna County everyone can learn the tricks of this type of decoration. About gingerbread making, we asked József Szántó, master of gingerbreads.
What is the secret of a perfect gingerbread?
We prepare gingerbread since 1880. Our gingerbread is baked in a beehive oven and we try to keep the taste of it as traditional as possible. When decorating we also keep the tradition, to prepare it as natural as we can.
Please tell us more about the process of making gingerbread! What tools do you need?
The process of gingerbread making starts with the preparation of the basic dough. The first day we leave it to rest, after we roll it out and make forms from it. For example, with the horse form, that I have from my great-grandmother since 1880, but we have newer ones as well. Meanwhile, in the oven the fire is burning one, one and a half hour, then we push the coals to one side and on the other side of the oven we bake the gingerbreads. First, we bake one as a test to see, if the oven is hot enough.
What specific motifs are used during the decoration?
When we use the traditional forms, like the heart, we always put on them the old decorations, that were used in the past, but we have new motifs as well, like the car, the cat, those ones that the kids like.
Tourists have the possibility to try out the decoration processes. How does a visit like this look like?
Tourists come in groups, based on appointments. For guests, we prepare gingerbreads, decorating tools and show them in the workroom the decorating process, so they can try out the decoration and see what they can make out of it.
