Joy. Oh, Joy! My darling husband, who is a bit of a stickler for Catholic traditions, has always made it pretty clear that hot cross buns were only for Easter week itself. None during Lent as this is a penitential season and one shouldn’t indulge too much.
Hard work for me as I adore Hot Cross buns, the hotter and the crosser the better… dripping with butter and hot from the oven, little tangy bursts of dried fruit and peel, Nummy, nummy!
A few weeks ago I was mentioning how I didn’t like having to wait until Easter for them and I thought it would be a good idea to eat one a day, as they have a cross on them and that would remind you of all that it should. And he said that Lent hadn’t started yet, so why not eat them now? So for a week we ate hot cross buns – even chocolate ones. And then I stopped buying them Ash Wednesday.
A week goes by with me smelling them each time I visit the supermarket and at morning tea time when others bring out their hot cross buns. But, no, I am resigned to waiting – it’s possibly even good for me. And then, a wee miracle! Seán reads in our 2007 Lenten reflection book that (and I quote),
‘Baking hot cross buns on Good Friday is an old custom that has now extended to the whole season of Lent.
Hot cross buns often have raisins or dried fruit to give them some taste, but no sweet filling because Lent is a penitential season.
However, white icing is placed on top and always in the shape of a cross – as a reminder that Easter is coming’
Hurrah! Life as I knew it has changed! Hot cross buns were purchased that day and the next and the next. The kids love them in their school lunches. One amusing wee thing is that I am on a carb-free food thing for a couple of weeks and I am still hot cross bunless for another seven days. Then watch out! But not chocolate ones, I suppose?
2 comments:
Say 'yes' to the chocolate ones. Those sound really good.
This is great info to know.
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