By Jeff Dionot
‘Tis the season for winter feasts. Despite Christmas being known for its merriment and cheer, the Feast of Nativity continues to influence dishes today. Here are a handful of tidbits regarding Christmas-themed food.
1. Medieval Nobility Ate Peacock Instead of Turkey
While medieval common folk had a limited selection of foods to put on their tables, the gentry had the luxury of dining on peacocks for Christmas. Cooks would incorporate the bird into pies, often with its head and tail still intact. Even though the pies were adorned with the peacocks’ feathers, the actual meat didn’t exactly hold up to the test of time; the meat was reportedly tough, coarse, and difficult to digest. By the mid-1500s, turkey became the Christmas staple once European explorers brought the bird back from the Americas.
2. Animal Crackers Were Invented as a Christmas Treat
If you’ve ever enjoyed Barnum’s Animal Crackers, you might have noticed that the containers may have had a string attached. This design made it possible for people to adorn their Christmas trees with the biscuit boxes. By the 1920s, Nabisco directly stated in their advertising that the boxes could be used as decorations. Though the custom isn’t as popular as it once was, Barnum’s still includes string on their animal crackers boxes.
3. Australians Grill on Christmas
Our cousins from the Land Down Under have to deal with Christmas in the summertime, but that doesn’t stop them from enjoying it in their own way. Australians typically occupy themselves with their barbies, grilling steaks, sausages, burgers, prawns, salmon, and more. If their propane-powered units don’t get the job done, then the outback heat might take up the slack.
4. The Cologne Cathedral Funded Candy Canes in Order to Quiet Children
Most Christians find churches and cathedrals to be a place of quiet contemplation, but their children don’t exactly understand the concept as much. Tired of incessant interruptions from the younger crowd, a choirmaster of the Cologne Cathedral in 1670 commissioned a local candy-maker to make strips of sugar in order to keep the children occupied. The confections were also to be shaped in the form of a cane, adhering to a Shepherd’s crook.
5. Pine Needles are Edible
Technically most of everything is edible if you try hard enough to make it so. Pine needles are said to have a minty, fresh, and (obviously) pine-like flavor. The safest way to incorporate pine needles into your diet is to steep them in hot water and make tea. This high in Vitamin A and C tea may be used to season soups, breads, and sauces. If you’re feeling bold and daring, try your hand at this unconventional item – just make sure that your tree hasn’t been exposed to pesticides or herbicides.
Sources:
7 Christmas Foods from Yesteryear
Strange and wacky Christmas food facts
Holidays Down Under: An Australian Christmas BBQ
Candy Canes Were Invented as a Way Of Keeping Children Quiet