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Hot cross buns
A hot cross bun is a type of sweet spiced bun made with currants and leavened with yeast. It has a cross on the top which might be made in a variety of ways: it could be pastry, made from a simple flour and water mixture, cut from rice paper and glazed onto the bun, iced, or simply cut into the bun itself.
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In many historically Christian countries, the buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of the crucifixion. They are believed by some to pre-date Christianity, although the first recorded use of the term "hot cross bun" is not until 1733. According to cookery writer Elizabeth David, Protestant English monarchs saw the buns as a dangerous hold over of Catholic belief in England, being baked from the dough used in making the communion wafer. Protestant England attempted to ban the sale of the buns by bakers but they were too popular, and instead Elizabeth I passed a law permitting bakeries to sell them, but only at Easter and Christmas. David provides no source for this assertion and it seems to be a myth arising from anti-Catholic bigotry[citation needed].
Czech hot cross buns called mazanec
In Australia, recently, a chocolate version of the bun has become popular. They generally contain the same mixture of spices but chocolate chips are used instead of currants. This is most likely due to the close association between Easter and chocolate.
In the Czech Republic, mazanec is a similar cake or sweet bread eaten at Easter time. It often has a cross marked on top.Easter in Czech Republic. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
In the Maldives, cream jehi banas or cream buns in English is a favorite to the locals. It is similar to the hot cross buns although the crosses are all parallel as Muslims oppose the cross.
Around Easter 2003, the Daily Telegraph among other newspapers, reported that several local authorities in England (in particular Tower Hamlets Borough Council) had banned schools serving hot cross buns on the grounds of political correctness, believing the symbol of the cross could be offensive to non-Christians.Hastings, Chris; Elizabeth Day. "Hot cross banned: councils decree buns could be \'offensive\' to non-Christians", Daily Telegraph, 2003-03-16. Retrieved on 2007-01-21. This step was widely condemned, most vocally by Ann Widdecombe. As one of the cited councils, the City of York issued a statementCouncil Hits Out at School Buns Ban Claim. Retrieved on 2007-02-23. making clear that although the buns were not being served in their schools this year, this was in fact for "no particular reason".
Hot Cross Buns is also a simple song for teaching basic notes for learning various instruments. It developed out of an English street cry of bakers hawking their products.
There are two versions of the tune. The simple version is played with the sequence A, G,F whilst the original more musical version uses the notes A, A,D, where the second A is one octave lower than the first.
(The "ha\'" is pronounced "hay", and refers to a half penny coin no longer in currency.)
Alternative lyrics are:
| Baked goods depicting religious iconography | ||
| Croissant | Opłatek | Host | Hot cross bun | Prosphora | | ||
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia
