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Why Hot Cross Buns at Easter?

The tradition of eating hot cross buns as we know them dates back to the 18th century, according to English HeritageLink opens in a new window. It has been suggested that the St Alban’s Bun, a cake local to St Alban’s, was the "ancient prototype" for the hot cross bun.

These buns are flavoured with "grains of paradise", sometimes known as Meleguata pepper and closely related to cardamom, and a cross was slashed into the dough rather than piped on.

Some historians say that bakers who marked their loaves with crosses believed it would ensure the bread rose successfully and would ward off evil spirits.

Later, it was believed that hanging loaves and buns marked with crosses that were baked on Good Friday would provide protection against evil spirits. These miraculous loaves were also believed to never mould and would last all year long until the next Good Friday came along, when they would be replaced.

The hot cross bun’s links to religion have always been quite clear - even if they haven’t always been welcome. Professor Rebecca Earle, food historian at the University of Warwick, tells Yahoo UK: "I don’t think there’s any ambiguity about hot cross buns being associated with Good Friday and therefore, Easter.


Centre for Arts Doctoral Research Excellence Read more from Latest Announcements

Queer(in)g History Podcast

The Warwick PG History Podcast released today is titled 'Queer(in)g History'! Host Erin Geraghty is joined by our convenor Hannah Ayres and the brilliant queer historian Sue Lomos to discuss queer & Black history, museums, space, time, and new methods of researching history.

Wed 24 Jun 2020, 12:11 | Tags: History, PGR, PhD

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