Food seems to be one of the things I do the most googling about while writing–maybe because so many things about the way we eat seem so “natural” but have actually changed a great deal in the last two hundred years. Or maybe because I’m a cook and food seems to work its way into a lot of my scenes. Who knows? Anyway, I was looking up common shapes for Regency marzipan molds, and I found this, from CookieMold.com:
Picture cakes were one of the main attractions of fairs and festivals – the cookies represented a lively and subtle form of communication, often using a traditional symbolic code to convey the message. These “cookie messages” were shaped by the baker’s molds – more importantly, the common man was being shaped (influenced) by the MASS MEDIA OF COOKIES.
An example of a mold used for political propaganda (other than the 4000 gingerbread cookies in the image of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III): In 1800, an unknown carver added a Napoleonic hat to a billygoat rider/monkey companion mold symbolic of evil, carved five years earlier. Thus Napoleon was ridiculed – by the gingerbread baker – throughout the Austrian and Germany lands that he had invaded that summer!
How cool is that? I want to know more! I may have to get my hands on the books cited…
That is very cool! It’s amazing what’s out there. 🙂
Right? Research is the BEST.
Let me start by saying I love your header. That rose is beautiful and what a whimsical way to play off your name.
This is also a delightful historical research topic. Thanks for sharing. I actually have a historical research post that you might enjoy over on my blog, it is a month by month listing of a year of food that would have been available in season to serve during the Regency era.
Smiles,
Teresa
Oh wow, that’s great, thanks for the tip! Where did you do the research?