Traditional Sweets Make the Holidays Complete

Most holidays and celebrations are defined by food, made even more special by the traditions they represent. We gather around our holiday table to enjoy not only the treasured flavors, but, more importantly, the company of loved ones. The foods we enjoy year after year and share with our children and grandchildren are a powerful way to connect with our ancestors and keep our culture alive. They also represent that bond which makes us family. This is true for the hard boiled eggs at Easter and Grandpa’s barbecued chicken on Independence Day, and it is especially true at Christmas. For me, learning the deep roots of some traditional dishes enhances this meaningful connection to history and family.

The Yule log is a sensible part of our holiday traditions. It’s the comforting idea of a winter’s fire burning for hours, keeping guests warm and allowing hosts to tend to other matters (like the food!). The word “Yule” derived from a pre-Christian winter solstice festival long before it transitioned into the Christian’s Christmas lexicon. During the festival celebrants prayed that the burning log might last forever. Fast forward to the 19^th century, the French applied their mastery of all things sweet to the Yule log tradition and created the Bûche de Noël – A light sponge cake rolled with sweetened pastry cream, jam, or buttercream frosting to resemble a log. Variations include chocolate, ice cream, candied fruits, and frosting to look more log-like. Whatever your favorite version, it is perfect with a cup of coffee, sitting next to the Yule log fire, on a cold winter afternoon.

While the French were baking cakes, the Northern Europeans were dabbling in cookies. Descendants of the Germans and Dutch probably have a family gingerbread or butter cookie recipe, sugar cookies likely originated with the Brits, and the Norwegians and Swedes perfected all sorts of crisp and spicy wafer cookies that are delightful for dunking! By the eighteenth century, sugar was no longer just medicinal or for the wealthy, and with the introduction of cookie cutters by the Dutch, Americans made cookies a central part of Christmas. Americans took cookies to the next level when we masterminded the holiday cookie exchange!

The quintessential dunk for a Christmas cookie would have to be eggnog. While eggnog is a North American phenomenon, its roots are likely in jolly old England where they enjoyed posset (sweetened and/or spiced milk slightly curdled with alcohol and served warm). We enjoy the convenience of nonalcoholic eggnog in a carton these days, but consider making some from scratch with pasteurized eggs, cognac, and some freshly grated nutmeg for a lovely Christmas Eve nightcap.

Any discussion of Christmas sweets has to include the fruitcake. The brunt of many jokes, this cake was the height of decadence in the Middle Ages. Today it comes in so many variants, many families likely have their own personalized version. Check Grandma’s cookbook, and you may find a hidden gem…

Perhaps amidst the hustle and bustle of this year’s holiday, we will all find a moment to consider how our great-great-grandparents, in a simpler time, celebrated the holidays. We can build a culinary bridge across the years with a taste of something they would have found familiar and scrumptious, and it may help us appreciate all that we have to be thankful for.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones, and until next time, eat well!