Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. It is traditionally a “day of fasting and penance for many Christians, commemorating the anniversary of Christ’s crucifixion and death.” The tradition of eating small cakes during the time of the spring festival is said to date back to the ancient Greeks. The first recorded use of the name ‘hot cross bun’ was around 1733. they are traditionally are eaten on Good Friday, specifically in England. They may be tied to this specific day because of a decree issued in 1592 stating that bakers could only make and sell “spice cakes, buns, biscuits, or other spice breads” at burials, the friday before easter sunday, and Christmas. That decree was eradicated centuries ago, but even if it was still in force, you could make these delicious little treats at home, year round.
keep reading for a few more fun facts about hot cross buns.
Here are a few fun facts and many superstitions about hot cross buns:
- the cross, whether cut or a piped stripe of pastry dough, stands as a symbol of the crucifixion.
- when archaeolgists excavated the ancient city of Herculaneum in southwestern Italy, which had been buried under volcanic ash and lava since 79 C.E., they found two small loaves, each with a cross on it, among the ruins.
- some people believe that if the ingredients are mixed, the dough prepared, and the buns baked on Good Friday itself, they will never get moldy.
- there are believed to have supposed medicinal benefits, if you give a sick person a piece it will help them recover.
- sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if “half for you and half for me, between us two shall goodwill be” is said at the time.
- because of the cross on the buns, some say they should be kissed before being eaten.
- sailors would take hot cross buns on voyages to protect against shipwreck.
- it is believed that if you hang a hot cross bun in the house on good friday, it offers protection from bad luck in the coming year.
- If kept in the kitchen, they are said to protect against fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfectly. the hanging bun is replaced each year.
Although mine won’t be hanging in my kitchen (at least not for long), they did make our home smell wonderful and were a beautifully moist sweet bun. Here’s my rustic hot cross buns recipe.
happy easter.
i keep reading things about hot cross buns on foodgawker.com lately — now i know why!
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