The origins of gingerbread date back to Antiquity but back then, it was simply a piece of bread dipped in honey. Gingerbread as we know it today is thought to have originated in China and was brought to Europe by the Crusaders in the Middle Ages. It is made of flour, honey, spices, butter, milk and eggs, depending on the recipe.
It was Margaret of Flanders, wife of Duke Philip the Bold, who imported gingerbread into Burgundy in the 14th century. Dijon's gingerbread differs from the others in that it is made with wheat flour (not rye flour) and aniseed.
Another speciality not to be missed is nonnette de Dijon, a delightful little round gingerbread cake with icing and an orange marmalade filling. Delicious with a cup of tea, its name meaning "little nun" in French comes from the fact that it was once made by nuns in convents.