Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Gingerbread Village Built From 20 Pounds of Baked Goods on Display

By Gwynne Hogan | December 19, 2016 1:25pm
 Check out this gingerbread house at Williamsburg's Museum of Food and Drink this holiday season. 
Gingerbread House Museum of Food and Drink
View Full Caption

WILLIAMSBURG — It takes some craftsmanship to sculpt 20 pounds of gingerbread and 10 pounds of royal icing into a tiny village.

The skillful building with baked goods will be demonstrated this holiday season at the Museum of Food and Drink — plus you can snack on freshly made gingerbread fortune cookies, cranked out by a machine on display as part of the museum's exhibit on Chinese-American Cuisine.

The gingerbread village created by the International Culinary Center's head of pastry,  Jansen Chan, 41, depicts tiny bakeries from different countries, each producing their traditional breads like Challah from Israel, pretzels from Germany and conchas, a Mexican sweet bread.

All the different bakeries are connected to a central U.S. one in the center by a sea of gingerbread fortune cookies, said Jansen, who hopes it shows the importance of immigrant cuisines on American food.

"We're all made of immigrant bread." Jansen said. "There is no American bread, we're all immigrant bread."

Since he was a child, Jansen said he has imagined himself in miniature form strolling through gingerbread villages.

"I always want to make a gingerbread house, I picture myself living in it, where would I live? Where would I walk?" he said. 

The gingerbread village is on display through Dec. 31 at the Museum of Food and Drink at 62 Bayard St. in Williamsburg. Tickets are $14 for adults and $7 for kids.