Barnbrack
The barnbrack cake is one of the many types of food that feature in Halloween customs around the world. It has the added excitement of also bring an element of fortune telling into the equation.The tradition of the barnbrack cake originated in Ireland but has spread far beyond its country of origin.
What Is A Barnbrack Cake?
Barnbrack cake is a fruit filled bread usually served at the end of the main meal. There's no one set recipe however the ingredients often include dried fruit and peel.What makes this sweet treat especially entertaining is that as well as fruit the cake should also contain several objects. Which object you get, if any, is meant to predict how the coming year will turn out for you.
There are three items traditionally baked into the barnbrack cake. One is a coin, indicating a financially successful future. A rag indicates the opposite - money is going to be tight. The third item is a ring which indicates that romance is in the air.
For larger groupings of family or guests the item list is sometimes extended. A button might mean a man will be unlucky in love or have marital problems, a thimble can indicate the same for a woman. Personally I'd never use such items as this sort of prophecy can too easily become self-fulfilling.
One important word of warning: people can choke on small items. If you're going to re-enact this tradition at home, make sure that everyone knows and that all items have been located and removed before anyone starts to eat their portion.