Hot cross buns: Food for festivals

As I was walking through my local supermarket yesterday I came across a packet of hot cross buns, the Easter treat which is traditionally eaten on Good Friday. Strange, perhaps, that they are still on sale – possibly old stock needing to be sold, or possibly seasonal creep, whereby products once intended for one celebration become associated with an entire month, or time of year, or even available year-round.

Hot Cross Buns (Image: Lausanne Morgan, Wikimedia Commons)

For those not in the know, hot cross buns tend to be a British empire phenomenon. They are a slightly fluffy, slightly heavy bread bun, infused with fruit and spices, and topped with a white dough cross. The cross is obviously symbolic of the crucifixion which Good Friday marks, while the spices inside are said to represent the embalming of Jesus’ body after death.

(Image: Tim Collins, Wikimedia Commons)

I spend a large part of the year in Australia where Christian holidays are celebrated. Therefore, I get the days off to eat as much holiday food as I like! And while I may not share religious customs with the majority of people here, the culture of celebratory food (anywhere in the world) intrigues me.

I love the symbolism of the hot cross bun, I love what it means, and how the importance of this one day has come to be represented in a simple food item. And most of all, I love eating them warm and smothered in butter, straight out of the oven!

Easter is one of my favourite festivals for food; no sooner are we done with hot cross buns than we gorge ourselves on tons of chocolate eggs – of course supposed to represent rebirth and resurrection – but for me, equally a chance to sample one of the five essential food groups (the others of course being ice cream, fried salty food, coffee, Thai and biryani).

(Image: Sophiea, Wikimedia Commons)

Of course, leading into winter in Australia, what comes next is crumpets, and one of my favourite (and simplest recipes) is honeyed ricotta crumpets.

(Image: LoopZilla)

The list of culinary delights which are associated with particular festivals is endless, but some of my favourites are as follows;

• Rooh Afza in Ramadan
• Falsa juice in Pakistan in summer
• Hot chocolate in winter in Australia
• Akhrot ka halva in winter in Pakistan
• Biryani on Eid

An image from Recipes for Ramadan, available soon!

And a couple of these recipes have made it into my forthcoming book Recipes for Ramadan. Stay tuned to UrbanDuniya for details on its release!

Meanwhile, what are your favourite festival foods? Tell us in the comments below!