It gets colder, the days get shorter, and raincoats become integrating parts of our wardrobes, but on the bright side: halloween. The major spooky celebration of everything that’s scary or even just vaguely unsettling is near, so get your capes and wigs ready for a culinary travel around the globe.
Oh yes, because beyond the masks, the parties and the trick or treating, there are also special desserts and dishes, different for every country. So here are the top five most famous (and mouth-watering) Halloween traditions:
1. USA - Candy Apples
Not to be confused with caramel apples, these delicious (but still kind of healthy, if you only consider the apple part) treats are probably the most popular ones. This is the season for the apple harvest, making it easy to find plenty around. Later, the fruit gets covered in a sugar coating, ans is also possible to decorate them further! So the spookier, the better.
2. UK - Bonfire Toffee
Popular during Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night, this is a hard candy made with black treacle, butter and sugar, usually baked in the shape of an A4 sheet and then broken with a small hammer. You need to be careful with this one: if you add colorants in the mixture it could become very bitter, so it’s better to stick with the classic black colour!
3. Ireland - Barmbrack
This is a type of fruit bread, but there is no traditional recipe for this one! In fact, different objects can be baked into it, and each has a different meaning for the person who finds it. Yes, we said objects, that’s because they will literally bake anything within the loaf: from pieces of cloth (bad luck or poverty omens), small coins (good fortune, richness), rings (marriage of that person within a year) and many more with different meanings.
4. Portugal - Pão-por-Deus
This one is not exactly an Halloween treat, since it’s usually eaten on the 1st of November, but we’ll consider it anyways. In the ingredients list we find raisins, currants and various spices (nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon), all put together in the shape of a small, round delicacy. In Portugal, these are given to kids going door to door, and since it’s a tradition dating back to the 15th century, many believe that this is how trick-or-treating actually started!
5. Italy - Dolci dei Morti
Ground-up almonds, cinnamon, pine nuts and lemon zest combine together to make this bean-shaped biscuit, which preparation originated in Milan and then spread throughout the peninsula. They’re also called “bones of the dead” because of their shape reminding bones, so yeah. A bit creepy.
Halloween traditions date back centuries and are integrating part of the cultures in which they were born. Have you ever tried any other traditional Halloween delicacies? Or have you ever had one of these five? Let us know and share your experience with us!