Full Description
Explore the Surprising and Sometimes Dark Origins of Beloved Holiday Bakes
Spice up your season by rolling, molding, and kneading your way through some of the world's most iconic Christmas recipes. Interspersed with tales of sailors, saints, tomb raiders, and artisans, The Secret History of Christmas Baking proves that even the humblest holiday treat has a global backstory.
Did you know that the ancient Egyptians had their own version of gingerbread or that marzipan was once considered a pharmaceutical? Linda Raedisch dispels some long-standing culinary myths and delves into the darker chapters of the West's centuries-long romance with sugar and spices. In addition to more than forty recipes for modern bakers, you'll find illustrated instructions for dressing up your cakes and cookie plates with paper stars, angels, and witches. From Linzer tartlets to Christstollen, you can turn your kitchen into an Old World Christmas market stall.
Contents
Contents
Introduction . . . 1 Getting Ready 12
Chapter One: The Black Land . . . 19
Chapter Two: The Cake of Life . . . 29
Chapter Three: Pepper Cake (Hold the Pepper) . . . 53
Chapter Five: St. Nicholas's Shadow . . . 79
Chapter Six: The Bitter and the Sweet . . . 93
Chapter Seven: All Wrapped Up . . . 123
Chapter Eight: The Sunny Side of the Alps . . . 141
Chapter Nine: Run, Run, as Fast as You Can . . . 167
Chapter Ten: Stirring Things Up . . . 195
Chapter Eleven: A Christmas Kitchen Herbal . . . 211
Conclusion: Back to the Black Land . . . 255
Appendix . . . 257
Bibliography . . . 265
Index . . . 287
