Is this Really a Christmas Cookie?

The other day, while looking for Christmas cookie recipes,

 I ran across a re-issue of the 1963 publication of

"Betty Crocker's Cooky Book."

I had forgotten I had it, so I sat down and looked through it.

photo courtesy of  morguefile.com

One thing I found interesting about this cookie book,

besides its section on cookies made with cereal,

was a section in the back devoted to "fashions in cookies."

These are cookie recipes from over seventy years of baking 

in Betty Crocker's Kitchens; i.e. the General Mills food corporation.

The historic recipes start in 1880, 

which coincidentally is the year my great-grandmother

 arrived in the USA from Bavaria. 

The section ends with the top cookie of 1963.

I mention my great-grandmother Margaret, called "Gretel,"

because for years my mother made her Christmas cookie recipe: Hermits.

And Hermits just happen to be the most popular cookie for Betty Crocker's 

 "Best Cooky of 1880 - 1890."

There are some minor differences between Grandma Hofmann's Hermit cookies

and Betty's; for example, my grandmother's called for sour cream,

Betty's calls for 1/2 cup of coffee. 

Yet, the basics of raisins, nuts, nutmeg, and cinnamon are the same.

Our recipe emphasized, with a double underline,

 the nuts had to be black walnuts.

This is one hearty cookie and they keep a very long time,

which was probably their attraction in the late 19th century.

The Cooky Book says that Hermits originated  in Cape Cod 

in "Clipper Ship days," which were the earliest decades of the 1800s.

The cookies were popular because  they could be "packed in cannisters" 

and "tucked in sea chests." 

I can attest to their durability and longevity,

for when I was a kid,

 these always seemed to outlast the sugar cookies I preferred.

Puffed with raisins, heavy on spices, 

flavored by high-powered black walnuts,

lard-packed,

sticky topped, full bodied, and cake-like--

these cookies pulled out all the stops.

Ingredients of dried fruits, nuts, sugar, and spices were more precious then,

which is why cooks reserved them for special occasions like Christmas.

So I can understand why my hard-working German family 

counted "Grandma Hofmann's Hermits" 

among one of the best cookies for the season.

But they are definitely not on my list of the best Christmas cookies.

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The History of Wreaths: Part 2

People often wonder how the symbols of Christmas, especially wreaths,

became associated with the holiday.

Historically, going all the way back before ancient Rome,

wreaths were an important way to show respect, reverence, and honor.

That is one clue as to why wreaths became important 

for celebrations such as Christmas.

In Pre-Roman centuries, the ancient Druids were said to have 

used oak leaves and mistletoe in their sacred rituals; 

some ancient monuments show images of  leafy crowns.

photo courtesy of morguefile.com

Pliny the Elder, who lived in the first century A.D., 

recounted the Druid's use of mistletoe. 

He also offers an account of wreath making in Chapter XXI of his Naturalis Historia.

One of the things he said is that in addition to the chaplets (wreaths)

the Romans fashioned from olive, laurel, and myrtle leaves, 

they also later incorporated elements from Egyptian wreaths: 

ivy, narcissus, and pomegranate.

So if you want an ancient Egyptian-Roman wreath this Christmas,

incorporate ivy and pomegranate. 

I'd save the narcissus for spring though.

Pliny also says the best wreaths 

were created from leaves sewn together.

Later these wreaths were made of thin slices of  horn, 

embossed metal leaves, or bits of silk.

photo courtesy of morguefile.com

Roman wreaths were reserved for those held in the very highest esteem,

and Pliny mentions that this included their being used to honor the gods.

And woe to the person who violated this tradition.

Pliny describes how a banker named Fluvius donned a wreath of roses. 

Thus bedecked, he walked out onto his own balcony, 

which overlooked the Forum.

Fluvius was glimpsed by a passerby, 

who promptly reported him to the authorities,

and poor Fluvius was sentenced to prison for his impertinence.

It's nice to know the rules about wreaths have become less stringent

as time has gone by. And it's also nice to know 

that wreaths have been around for centuries and centuries

as important signs of reverence and symbols of the sacred.

So for authentic, traditional wreaths, here are some options:

olive, oak, myrtle, and laurel leaves and branches; 

pomegranates, ivy leaves, and mistletoe.

I like knowing that as I hang my Christmas wreaths this season,

 I'll be taking part in an ancient ritual 

symbolic of devotion and respect, as well as celebration.

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The History of Wreaths: Part 1

Wreaths are one of the first decorations to appear 

in the holiday season.

I love wreaths any time of year, but most especially at Christmas.

And this season, I've been very curious

to know the history of wreaths 

and when they became associated with Christmas.

So I'm going to share what I've learned.

To know the history of wreaths at Christmas,

we have to start in ancient Rome.

First, I found a website 

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Corona.html

that describes the Roman tradition of coronas, wreath-like crowns,

a tradition borrowed from the ancient Greeks, who adorned 

Olympic athletes with wreaths as a sign of honor.

These early Greek and Roman embellishments 

were made from a variety of materials:

leaves, flowers, herbs, and later metal, all placed around the neck or head.

Here's an unattributed image from that website,  

a woodcut of an early corona:

Pliny the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD), 

was a Roman who endeavored to write all of the knowledge of his time.

In his book Naturalis Historia, in Book XXI, Chapters 1 - 8,

he writes about wreaths and garlands. 

He describes "chaplets," that is, wreaths, and their history and purpose.

Chaplets were used at funerals, sacrifices, and as rewards for military valor.

Pliny says that the ancestors of the Romans 

used very small chaplets called struppi,

but exactly what form they took is not known.

But what is known, is that the earliest chaplets were fashioned

spontaneously from the leafy branches of trees.

They were woven together and placed on the recipients' head or neck

so everyone would know they had shown courage or honor in battle.

According to a footnote in the translation of Naturalis Historia,

Festus says these early chaplets 

were oak, olive, laurel, or myrtle branches.

So those who want an authentic wreath this Christmas

may want to find a wreath of bay or myrtle leaves.

Tomorrow, Part 2.

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