 Twoloaves of barmbrack | |
| Alternative names | Báirín Breac, Boreen brack, Bawreen brack |
|---|---|
| Type | Sweetbread |
| Place of origin | Ireland |
| Main ingredients | Flour,sultanas,raisins |
Barmbrack (Irish:bairín breac[1]), also often shortened tobrack, is a yeast bread with addedsultanas andraisins.[2] The bread is associated withHalloween inIreland, where an item (often a ring) is placed inside the bread, with the person receiving it considered to be fortunate.[3]
It is sometimes calledbairín breac, and the term is also used as two words in its more common version. This may be from the Irish wordbairín -transl. a loaf - andbreac -transl. speckled (due to the raisins in it), hence it literally means a speckled loaf (a similar etymology to the Welshbara brith).[4]
Other origins for "barm" could relate to the use of the froth from fermented ale, which is a form of yeast referred to as barm. This was used in place ofbicarbonate soda in baking, as it was not widely available in Ireland until the early 19th century.[5]
Usually sold in flattened rounds, it is often servedtoasted withbutter along with a cup oftea.[4] Thedough is sweeter thansandwich bread, but not as rich ascake, and the sultanas and raisins add flavour and texture to the final product. In most recipes, the dried fruit is soaked overnight in cold tea or whiskey.[6][7][8]
Barmbrack is the centre of an IrishHalloween custom.[3] These loaves could be decorated on the top with animals or birds.[9] The Halloween Brack traditionally contained various objects baked into the bread and was used as a sort offortune-telling game.[2] In the brack were: a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a small coin (originally a silver sixpence), a ring, and a bean. Each item, when received in the slice, was supposed to carry a meaning to the person concerned: the pea, the person would not marry that year; the stick, would have an unhappy marriage or continually be in disputes; the cloth or rag, would have bad luck or be poor; the coin, would enjoy good fortune or be rich; the ring, would be wed within the year;[3] and the bean, would have a future without money. Other articles added to the brack include a medallion, usually of theVirgin Mary to symbolise taken a religious vocation, although this tradition is not widely continued in the present day.[4][8]
Commercially produced barmbracks have been sold in Ireland since the late 19th century.[8] In modern times those sold for the Halloween market still include a toy ring, but due to food safety regulations, they do not contain the other items traditionally included.[4]
In many areas of Ireland, it was traditional to bake a large barmbrack onNew Year's Eve by the woman of the house. As nightfall approached, three bites would be taken out of the cake by the man of the house and thrown against the front door while invoking theHoly Spirit. This was to ward off poverty or starvation.[9][10] After an invocation, the family would gather and eat the fragments of cake. In a variant of this tradition from westCounty Limerick, the door was struck three times with the cake with a different recitation.[9]
Barmbracks were mentioned in theVan Morrison song "A Sense of Wonder":
Pastie suppers down at Davey'schipper
Gravy rings, barmbracks
Wagon Wheels,Sno Balls.
Reference to barmbracks is made inDubliners byJames Joyce. The following is from in the first paragraph of Joyce's short story "Clay":
The fire was nice and bright and on one of the side tables were four very big barmbracks. These barmbracks seemed uncut, but if you went closer you would see that they had been cut into long thick even slices and were ready to be handed round at tea.
Edna O'Brien - "The Country Girls"
Irish breads | |
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