Questions answered on why we eat certian foods at Christmas time

Christmas brings to mind many holiday foods, and some of these foods are pretty unusual. For example, why is fruitcake eaten just during this time of year? Why is mince meat a pie?; Is wassail a beverage or singing?

First of all, fruitcake is made of flour and tiny candied fruit and seems to show up every Christmas whether liked or not. Since Christmas celebrations called for something sweet after the holiday meal, and inthe dead of winter the only thing available was preserved fruit the fruitcake was the result.

Next are sugarplums. There were made famous in the poem "The Night Before Christmas."Originally, sugarplums were sugarcoated coriander. Today, they are a small confection consisting of dried or candied fruit surrounded by icing.

Now to mincemeat pie. History reminds us that 300 years ago, the

English dish, "mincemeat" contained oxtongue, chicken, eggs, sugar, raisins, and spices in a tart. Eventually the meat was excluded, and just the sweet ingredients make up the mincemeat pie of today. The mince refers to the minced/finely chopped meat that was traditionally included in the pie.

Next is wassail, Traditionally this was a spiced ale or wine enjoyed by the English at Christmas time. Roving bands of English people began strolling the streets with bowls of wassail, caroling, and offering the hot drinks to neighbors. That practice became known as"wassailing."

Next is pudding. Just for the record, according to English custom Christmas pudding needs to be stirred clockwise for good luck. And in regard to plum pudding, an interesting fact about this dessert is that it contains suet, flour, sugar, raisins, nuts, and spice but no plums.

And finally, a Christmas treat enjoyed by old and young alike comes from twisted rhizome root, or as we know it "Gingerbread." For centuries this treat has been baked in Europe as a flat cookie, or soft cake, but it is almost always cut into shapes. However, it was bakers in

Germany that first began to use gingerbreads to make LEBKUCHEEUSEL.Yes, you guessed it, the Gingerbread House.

Merry Christmas Rusk County

Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic levels, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

Ginger Shorter

Rusk County Extension Office Manager 113 East Fordall Street, Henderson, TX 75652 903- 657-0376

E-Mail gshorter@ag.tamu.edu