Christmas 2023: Stories behind popular desserts
What's the story
Christmas is here, and it is that "merry" time of year again when we indulge in sumptuous meals replete with festive desserts.
Before they developed into the rich, spiced, and candied versions, the majority of the Christmas desserts that we know today had modest beginnings and a neutral to bland flavor profile.
Here are the stories behind some popular holiday desserts.
Food 1
Gingerbread
An iconic confection that is synonymous with the holidays, gingerbread comes in the form of edible spiced houses and candy-buttoned men.
In 992, an Armenian monk brought gingerbread to Europe, using it in religious ceremonies up to the 17th century.
Christmas and gingerbread were first connected in the late 17th century when Russian bakers created gingerbread men and women who replicated guests at parties.
Food 2
Plum cake
A rich porridge-like dish was traditionally consumed on Christmas Eve.
It is known that a combination of oats, honey, spices, and dried fruits like prunes or plums were used to make the porridge.
However, oats were substituted with flour, eggs, and butter in the 16th century. The batter was cooked for hours in a pot of boiling water, transforming it into a cake-like consistency.
Food 3
Panettone
Frequently misidentified as a cake, panettone is a sweetened bread. It is identified by its colossal muffin-like appearance, dotted with candied fruit or raisins.
Lombards have enjoyed celebrating Christmas with richer, lavish breads made with premium wheat since the Middle Ages.
The term "panettone," which also means "big bread" in Italian, most likely originated from the larger size of this type of bread.
Food 4
Yule log
Before Christianity's spread in Europe, burning Yule logs in hearths was a prevalent tradition among Celtic and Germanic cultures, symbolizing the winter solstice celebration.
The Yule log cake, called Bûche de Noël, a sponge cake resembling a Swiss roll, is believed to have emerged in 19th-century France.
Crafted to mimic the Yule log, this dessert remains a symbolic part of Christmas traditions worldwide.