If you’re a musician, have been a music student, or had music classes in school, you may remember humming or singing, “Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns…” or better yet, you were doing the number system as you sang, “3,2,1….3,2,1” (the numbers used instead of the notes!)
These days the actual pastry, known as a Hot Cross Bun has become a bit obscure. If you’ve never had a sticky gooey Hot Cross Bun….please head to Panera, but only on the weekends in March! It’s Easter time and the buns are on the menu!
Easter, as with any other holiday, has its own special culinary treats. Hot cross buns are kind of like a cinnamon roll and marked with a white sugary cross on top. For the record, here’s the scoop on the buns. They have quite a history!
In Southwest Italy, archaeologists excavated the ancient city of Herculaneum (buried under volcanic ash and lava since 79 A.D.). They found two small loaves, each with a cross on it, among the ruins dating back to about 40 years after Christ!
In England, hot cross buns are served at breakfast on Good Friday morning. For a long time English bakers, by law, were only allowed to bake and sell the buns at burials, on Good Friday, or at Christmas. There was actually a law in 1592 (Queen Elizabeth I) that shows the exact ruling.
It’s hard for us, in our culture today, to realize that religion and faith used to be so much a part of people’s everyday lives. To think that there were decrees actually created that dictated the protection of remembering Christ via a bun!? Wow!
With that, why not build some Hot Cross Buns into your upcoming Easter plans. If anything, to relive the tradition, and to spread the good news. That Christ be remembered, no matter how creative the method, is always a good thing.
Just my thoughts.
S.
