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Christmas Baking & Traditions

Date: 24 Nov 2009

Hello and welcome to our Christmas traditions and recipe update.

We know that its a busy time of year, trying to work out what to buy for loved ones, getting ready for the big day, keeping the fridge full and everyone happy.

We've been thinking about Christmas baking traditions and how the festive season has been celebrated over the years. Many of your favourite cakes and puddings can be found here.

Christmas Food & Traditions

The magic of Christmas is enjoyed by all; the festive meals and family gatherings, the joy of sharing presents, and the brightly coloured lights and decorations. Although primarily a religious occasion, Christmas has developed over the years into a festive period that for many is the highlight of the year.

A home baked cake or Christmas pudding will add a flourish to your celebrations. Many modern Christmas rituals can be traced back to the Victorians.

Prince Albert brought the German tradition to Britain in the 1840’s of bringing a decorated evergreen tree into the home. Although they do not have the smell of a freshly cut tree, many families now decorate re-usable plastic trees that are more environmentally friendly. The first Christmas cards were printed in London in 1843. Queen Victoria commissioned special cards for the royal family which featured paintings of significant events that had occurred over the year. Today E-cards, that can be sent electronically, are becoming popular as they reduce waste paper.

Santa Claus

Santa Claus or Father Christmas is thought to have originated from a Dutch character Sinterklass, and the image of Santa that we all recognise today was developed by the German-American cartoonist named Thomas Nast in the 1880’s.

The name Santa Claus comes from Saint Nicholas’ Dutch name, Sinterklass, and the image of Santa that we all recognise today was developed by a German-American cartoonist named Thomas Nast in the 1880’s.

Christmas has always been a time for feasting on an abundance of luxurious foods. In the year 1213 King John ordered about 3,000 game birds, 1,000 salted eels, 400 hogs, 100 pounds of almonds and 24 casks of wine for his Christmas feast. These days turkey is by far the most common meat eaten during a Christmas Dinner, although goose, duck or pheasant are very popular too.

The Yule Log

The significance of a Yule Log can be traced back to the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, who associated the burning of a winter log with good health, abundance, productivity and fertility. Traditionally a large log was brought into the farmhouse by the males of the family and lit by the youngest daughter using remnants of the previous year’s log on Christmas Eve. The log was burned through the night and into Christmas Day to provide warmth and the promise of abundant food during the coming year. These days the wooden log has been replaced by a cake decorated to look like a log.

Christmas Cake

The tradition of a Christmas Cake stems from the plum porridge eaten on the night before a feast to line the stomach. In the 16th Century, butter, flour, eggs and newly discovered spices replaced the oats in the mixing bowl. Christmas cakes are often luxurious adaptations of fruit cakes, made a month or two in advance and fed with alcohol such as brandy or whisky.

Christmas puddings

Early Christmas puddings were often savoury; a pottage made from meat and vegetables with added dried fruits and spices was common in the 1420’s. Recipes developed over a few hundred years lead to the “plum pudding” made from boiled fruit that we recognise today. Stir-up Sunday, at the beginning of Advent, was the traditional day to make Christmas puddings whihc would then be stored until Christmas. Whenever you make your pudding, follow tradition and get every member of the family to stir the mixture and make a wish.

Stollen Cake

Stollen cake is German in origin like so many of our Christmas customs. The cake is risen with yeast and contains rum soaked fruit and marzipan which is said to give the appearance of the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes.