What’s in a tradition?
After the presents and the family gathering, the one of the biggest parts of the festive season is food (and it’s an important part of Christmas for us too, as you would expect).
We’re already thinking about the wonderful cheeses we’ll buy, the mince pies we’ll make and the yule log we’ll steal a larger than necessary slice of after the chocolate box has been left bare. But if you’re wondering why some of these items are a pre-requisite on the Christmas food shopping list, then here’s a few reasons why we serve up the food we do.
Turkey
Many households bring out this big bird as the main course for Christmas dinner. But why turkey? In medieval times, you would have been more likely to eat wild boar or a ‘tasty’ peacock. It wasn’t until the sixteenth century that Henry VIII first ate turkey for his Christmas dinner and then Edward VII who really made it the fashionable thing to have. We don’t mind raising a few eyebrows though by offering alternatives on our Christmas menus and breaking with tradition, although 87 per cent of the UK still believe Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the traditional roast turkey at the table.
Brussel sprouts
The reason for these little vegetables inclusion on the Christmas dinner plate seems to be somewhat difficult to find, but many insist it’s only because sprouts are in season at this time of year. They’re also a frost hardy vegetable, meaning that even in the coldest and hardest of winters they’re still available fresh from the garden. With over 110 varieties on offer, it’s no wonder they make their way on to our plates though. We like to spice ours up by cooking them in a splash of white wine and tossing them with bacon.
Mince pies
Originally, mince pies contained a savoury meat filling such as rabbit, partridge or lamb. Known as a Christmas Pye, their early oblong shape was said to represent a manger and early pies were decorated with an effigy of the baby Jesus! But the tradition to eat them is more likely to come from the good luck promised when you indulge. According to folklore, if you make a wish on the first pie of the season and then eat one on each of the 12 days of Christmas, it will bring you good luck over the next 12 months. And if that’s not a good reason to enjoy one, we don’t know what is.
Yule log
It used to be a tradition to keep a small portion of the log burned at Christmas to kindle the fire the following winter. This was to ensure good luck, and was actually passed down through the centuries from an old Druid custom. Today, it’s the representation of this custom that people are more familiar with and the cake form that the Yule Log has transferred into is more well-known than the actual log itself. It’s even proving as a popular alternative to Christmas pudding with 23% of people opting to serve this as their dessert of choice.
Christmas pudding
Originating in the 14th century, what we think of as Christmas Pudding, is not what it was originally like! A soup like porridge called ‘frumenty’ containing meat with almonds, currants, prunes and spices was eaten as a fasting meal in preparation for Christmas festivities. By the next century this evolved into a plum pudding, as the addition of eggs, breadcrumbs and more dried fruit gave a thicker consistency. By 1650 it was considered a customary Christmas dessert, and, after a short-lived ban in the late 17th century, it finally became an established part of Christmas dinner when King George I tasted and enjoyed plum pudding. The ones we enjoy today have been served up since Victorian times. If you’re looking for a pudding with a bit of a twist though, you could always try cooking up your own version of Heston Blumenthal’s coveted hidden orange pudding.
