According to "The Joy of Cooking,"
by Irma Rombauer and Marion Becker, "Many people feel
that
these cakes improve greatly with age. When they are
well saturated with alcoholic liquors, which raise the
spirits and keep down mold, and are buried in powdered
sugar in tightly closed tins, they have been enjoyed as
long as 25 years after baking."
TURKEY
Meat has always featured at the centre of traditional
Christmas feasts, although it is has not always been in
the form of turkey. The act of serving a large roasted
joint of meat at Christmas is believed to originate from
ancient sacrificial rites to appease the gods and
hopefully ensure a sufficient harvest in the following
year. Popular meats used for early celebratory purposes
were beef, mutton, pork, peacocks and swans. King James
I can be thanked for the emergence of turkey as he
introduced it during the seventeenth century for the
important reason that it was far kinder to his delicate
digestive system! Of course not everyone could afford
it, and the poor had to make do with goose.
MINCE PIES
Mince pies, or Christmas pies as they were often known,
have existed for centuries, although their shape and
content have changed dramatically through the ages. In
their original form mince pies were much larger,
crib-shaped to represent the manger and packed full of
meat, spices and fruit. Unfortunately, the mince pie
tradition hasn't always been upheld as during his time
in the mid-seventeenth century Cromwell decided they
were far too indulgent and banned them. Eventually mince
pies came back into existence after the Restoration. The
sweet, rich and fruity pies that we are now accustomed
to developed early in the twentieth century when the
meat content was removed for good.
CHRISTMAS PUDDING
Christmas pudding, or plum/figgy pudding, is believed to
originate from the medieval period when
plum pottage was
served during festivities. Plum pottage was a meat broth
that had breadcrumbs and dried fruit added for
thickening purposes, and was seasoned with wine and
spices. This form of broth developed into a thicker
pudding during the seventeenth century when pudding
cloths were invented; the meat content was later removed
and it became more as we know it today. The pudding
became specifically associated with Christmas, rather
than merely any festive occasions, when it was
introduced to the Royal Christmas dinner table by Prince
Albert.
CHRISTMAS CAKE
Christmas cake as we know it now - a rich fruit cake
with marzipan and icing - was introduced as a custom by
the Victorians. Prior to that period, cake was eaten
during Christmas, but without the toppings. The idea of
using marzipan is thought to be linked to the Tudor
Marchpane an iced and decorated cake of marzipan that
acted as the table centrepiece during banquets and
festive occasions
credit - Rachel Newcomb
Eggnog
According to reports by Captain John Smith, the first
eggnog made in the United States was consumed in his
1607 Jamestown settlement. Nog comes from the word grog,
which refers to any drink made with rum.
