The 2023 Gingerbread White House Replica pays homage to the holiday classic.
A poem from 1823 It was the night before Christmas is the inspiration for the gingerbread house for the 200th anniversary celebration. First lady Jill Biden announced the creation as part of the White House’s annual holiday display, which this year has the theme “Magic, Wonder and Joy.”
The gingerbread house — on display in the State Dining Room in the White House Executive Residence — was constructed from 40 sheets of sugar cookie dough, 40 sheets of gingerbread dough, 90 pounds of pastille, 30 pounds of chocolate and 50 pounds of royal icing, the White House revealed in a recent statement. .
Executive Pastry Chef Susan Morrison’s sweet abode design features a sugar cookie replica It was the night before Christmas book decorated with the classic verse “Merry Christmas everyone and good night everyone!” A model of Santa Claus and his reindeer take off from the gingerbread roof of the White House, another nod to the story.
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The tradition began in the late 1960s after Edward E. Shapiro of Bedford Hills, New York, presented President Lyndon B. Johnson’s family with a gingerbread house, according to the White House.
The following year, Assistant Executive Chef Hans Raffert created a traditional German A-frame gingerbread house to help President Richard Nixon and his family celebrate their first Christmas in the White House.
Bill Clinton’s pet cat, Socks, stands next to the 1993 gingerbread White House.
Smith/Gado/Getty Collection
Over the years, the gingerbread White House designs have become more unique and elaborate. In 1994, chef Roland Mesnier created a dough replica of President Bill Clinton’s childhood home in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The following year, he did the same for Hillary Clinton, replicating her home in Park Ridge, Illinois.
In recent years, the pastry chefs at the White House have chosen white chocolate as their main medium. The 2010 Gingerbread House featured President Barack Obama’s dog Bo standing guard. In 2019, the scene featured historical landmarks like Mount Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education