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Writer's pictureMai

The Original Gingerbread Boy

Updated: Jan 3, 2023

I can count the number of times I remember being read to from my father's Norwegian fairytale book on my hand. Those memories are precious to me because of my love of fairytales and the connection to Norwegian heritage. The first time I was introduced to the Norwegian fairytale Pannekake, I had already become very familiar with the tale The Gingerbread Boy which holds a similar story. First published in 1875 under the title "The Gingerbread Boy" in St. Nicholas magazine, now it has many renditions with varying content. Naturally, as a child, I thought The Gingerbread Boy tale was older than it's Pankake counter-part- but Pannekake was first printed in 1842-1844, as part of the collection that was assembled by Peter Asbjornen and Jorgen Moe.



The cultural significance is part of what makes the tale so very Norwegian. Pankake is made from basic ingredients that can be found on a farm: eggs, milk, and grain. The story depicts a pannekake being made for several hungry children (which was common on farms), and in an attempt to flee, the panneekake rolls away. As it is chased, it meets various farm animals that you would find on a Norwegian farm: A hen, a rooster, a duck, a goose, a gander, and a pig. The pig of course having the wit to trick the pannekake so he could eat him. Pigs are very important in Norway, so it seems natural to me that a pig would be the victor here.


From the book "Pannekaka" illustrated by Solveig Lid Ball


Pankake and The Gingerbread Boy are not the only versions of the tale. Germany has it's own version of the "The Big Fat Pancake". There are other versions, such as Hungry's that has a head of cheese as its main character. Only in some of these versions, the main character (the cheese) eats everyone in it's path instead. In my brief research, I cannot find any other older published works, older than Pannekake. That doesn't mean that it is the original version, but it has at least humbled my childhood bias of believing The Gingerbread Boy came first. These stories were passed down verbally for many, many years. I suppose age doesn't matter, because the thing that matters the most is this beloved fairytale will continue to be shared for generations, which encourages Norwegian culture to live on.


Over the next month, I'll be sharing a few posts about Norwegian pancakes, including my family's recipe, a gluten free recipe (sorry, diary is essential in this recipe! I couldn't find a way to make it diary free.) an original artwork time-lapse, and other tidbits I find out. Stay Tuned!

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