Gingerbread biscuits first appeared in England in the 1500s, when they were sold in monasteries, pharmacies and markets. Earlier recipes were much spicier than those we use today, often including mustard or pepper as well as ground ginger. The word ‘gingerbread’ stems from the old French word gingebras, itself an adaptation of the Latin ‘zingiber’. meaning preserved ginger. Try this old-fashioned gingerbread recipe and see if you can taste the difference!