Ireland is considered the birthplace of modern Halloween with its origins stemming from ancient Celtic and Pagan rituals and a festival called Samhain, or Samhuinn (end of the light half of the year) that took place thousands of years ago. Today, both Ireland and Scotland celebrate Halloween with bonfires, games, and traditional foods like barmbrack, an Irish fruitcake that contains coins, buttons, and rings for fortunetelling.
Traditionally, Brack is eaten at Halloween and as part of your St Patrick's Day celebrations. At Halloween, a custom has it to bake small objects into the cake, acting as a kind of fortune telling. Nowadays, more often than not it will be a ring, the finding of which delights the unmarried as it purports they will be the next to walk down the aisle.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon dried yeast
1 ½ cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup + 1 extra teaspoon sugar for yeast
5 cups plain flour
Pinch salt
¼ cup butter
1 ¼ cup raisins
¼ cup mixed candied peel
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
DIRECTIONS:
Makes 2 loaves
Heat the oven to 400F after the second kneading of the dough
Place the yeast in the lukewarm water, add the teaspoon of sugar, stir and leave to one side.
Put the flour into a large roomy, baking bowl, add the butter and salt and using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour to form sand-like crumbs. Work quickly to prevent the butter becoming too warm.
Add the peel, raisins and the sugar to the flour mixture and stir.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add the beaten eggs and the yeast mixture. Work the mixture together to form a soft dough.
Knead the dough on a floured worktop for 10 minutes until smooth and pliable. Place the dough back into the bowl. Cover with a clean tea cloth and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Return the mixture to the worktop, divide in 2, knead each half for another few minutes then form into a round approx 20cm (7"). Place on a greased baking sheet and leave to rise for another hour.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool on a rack.
MAKES 2 LOAVES
Each member of the family gets a slice and each prize has different meaning.
The rag – your financial future is doubtful
The coin – you will have a prosperous year
The ring – impending romance or continued happiness
The thimble – you’ll never marry
BONFIRE
Samhain was seen as the end of summer but also the beginning of another year. It was also the one day of the year when spirits could walk the earth. The community would gather together and light huge fires to ward off bad fortune for the coming year and any evil spirits.
Some believe that people extinguished their fires in the hearth at home before they left and would reignite them using an ember from the bonfire, for good luck. The day after the bonfire the ashes were spread across the fields to further ward off bad luck for the farmers for the coming year. In order to carry home an ember from the communal bonfire the people would hollow out a turnip so they could walk home with the fire still burning.
It was also traditionally believed that the bonfire encouraged dreams especially of your future husband or wife. It was said that if you drop a cutting of your hair into the embers of the fire the identity of your first husband would be revealed.
HISTORY OF TRICK-OR-TREATING
Trick or treat originated centuries ago. In Ireland the poor would go from door to door at rich peoples homes and ask for food, kindling or money. They would then use what they collected for their celebrations on Halloween. The community would gather around the bonfire and may would be dressed up in elaborate animal skins and heads. Then if the spirits happened to be wandering the earth and bumped into one of the Celts they might they were spirits themselves, because of their disguises, and let them go free.
HALLOWEEN NIGHT SUPPER
CABBAGE AND POTATOES
Ingredients:
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 tbsp. milk or unsweetened/plain soy milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups chopped cabbage or kale
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped onions or green onions
Directions:
Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender. Drain, reserving water.
Place the hot potatoes in a large bowl.
Add chopped cabbage to the reserved potato water. Cook 6-8 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, fry the onions in the butter or margarine.
When they are cool enough to handle, mash potatoes with a hand masher or fork. Add the fried onions and cabbage.
Add milk, salt and pepper and beat until fluffy.
No comments:
Post a Comment