O Christmas Tree … O Christmas Tree

The Christmas season is here and we’re all beginning the much-anticipated, sometimes stressful and often-times expensive process of ‘decorating’ for the holiday.  From the balsam wreath on the front door to the strings of garlands, lights and, of course, the TREE, it can be an exhausting and exasperating project.

Today, however, we seem to have grown away from the traditional freshly-cut fir tree decorated with ornaments that have been collected over the years, or handed down from generation to generation.  Instead, we seem to have gravitated toward artificial trees, with trendy decorating themes, that change each year … which is fine, I guess.  But I’m a traditionalist.  For me, every tree is unique in its imperfection, and every ornament should have a story to tell.  Of course, I’ve been guilty of that last minute box-of- a-dozen-red-balls purchase, but be assured those are the last ornaments to go on the tree, if they make it there at all.

But, why a tree?  When did we decide to bring this outdoor living plant indoors and decorate it?  And why December … not January or February?  There are so many traditions that we keep alive today, but why?

Let’s start with Adam and Eve.  This parable, with which we are all familiar, signifies life and family, and takes place in the “Garden of Eden” where we find the symbolic “Tree of Life”.  Whether you follow this doctrine or not, in Medieval times, European Christians did, to the point of bestowing sainthood on Adam and Eve.  During that period, every saint was honored with their special communicant service or Mass … St. Thomas had Thomasmass, St. Michael had Michaelmass, Christ had Christmass, etc.  The commemorative Mass of St. Adam and St. Eve was on December 24th, the day before the celebration of the birth of Christ (Christmass).

In other parts of the world, pagan groups believed that evergreens symbolized eternal life.  While other plants and trees died, the evergreen tree remained continually alive.  Because of this phenomena, evergreens were revered.  These Pagan civilizations also considered the sun a living god and were fearful of the darker winter months when the days were their shortest.  Many pagan groups would, beginning on the shortest day of the year, December 21st, hang evergreens over their doors and windows to keep away evil spirits, and celebrate the slow return of the Sun’s strength.

Now let’s combine the Christian tradition with the Pagan belief.  It seems the worshiping of evergreens and, in particular, the fir tree, collided with the conversion of both the Christian and Pagan rituals. There are some who believe that the church tried unsuccessfully to drive the tree cult out of people’s consciousness.  Ultimately, instead of ‘fighting them’, the church decided to ‘join them’ and incorporated the decorated evergreen tree, called a ‘Paradise Tree‘, into the religious celebration of the Christ child.


It was actually the Scandinavians who were the first to bring the evergreen tree inside the home and decorate it.  And it was the Germans who were the first to light the tree with candles.  They decorated their Paradise Tree with apples to represent the Garden of Eden, cookies to represent the Eucharistic host and candles to represent Christ lighting up the world.  There is, however, a legend which says it was Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, who was the first to add lighted candles to a tree.  While walking home one evening, Reverend Luther was amazed by the brilliant stars twinkling in the heavens.  To recapture that scene for his family, he tied lighted candles onto the branches of the tree in his drawing room.

Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children decorating a Christmas Tree.

It was well over a hundred years before this tradition of decorating and lighting a “Tree” spread to other parts of Europe and became widely accepted.  Contrary to popular believe, it was not Prince Albert, but Queen Victoria’s grandmother, German-born Charlotte, who brought this German custom with her to England when she married King George III.  Reports were that Queen Charlotte had an evergreen tree at Windsor Castle, which stood in a large tub in the middle of her drawing room.  It was decorated with fruit and lit by candles, with plenty of toys for the children, who were completely enchanted by the spectacle.  This decorated TREE became an annual tradition for the Royal family.

It wasn’t, however, until Queen Victoria and Prince Albert began celebrating Christmas with a decorated tree that the rest of Britain adopted this concept of celebrating Christmas.  Wanting to emulate everything this Royal couple did, by the end of the 1850s it was a well established Christmas custom to have a decorated evergreen tree in the home of all Brits.  It is also believed that Victoria and Albert were the first to have manufactured decorations for their Christmas tree, imported from Germany.  Each year, Albert continued to spread the tradition by donating trees to schools, army barracks and royal estates. A tradition which continues to this very day.

German settlers to the new World took the custom of decorated Christmas trees with them as early as the 17th century.  By the 19th century, Christmas trees were popular not only in the new World, but in the rest of Europe.  Missionaries took the custom of Christmas and decorated trees with them to China and Japan.  So by the 20th century, the tradition of a decorated evergreen tree in your home to celebrate Christmas had become a socially accepted custom.

Whether you’re a traditionalist like me, or someone who follows the annual decorating trend, did you ever think that by putting up and decorating your Christmas tree, you would effectively be transforming your living room into a place of pagan ritual?

                                                                         Merry Christmas!

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References:  Prevail Magazine, Time Magazine, Royal Central,

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Beaches and a Bathing Machine?

Its amazing to me that a year has gone by since the word “pandemic” became part of our everyday conversation.  Pandemic … social distancing … quarantining ... what a crazy, upside down world it has been.  Most of our pleasures and activities have had to be put on hold.  For the past year, many of us have been stuck-at-home unable to do so many of the things we once enjoyed.  Streaming has become our main form of entertainment.  With all this stress and worry, binge-watching and reaching for a sweet or salty snack was the only way to cope.

Quite a few of us decided one way to keep busy was to BAKE (as any trip to the supermarket this past year proved).  I know I did.  Baking can be both comforting and challenging.  I’m not going to tell you how many of my ‘bakes’ ended up in the trash.  But, most did not.  They did, however, end up on my ‘hips’.  Baking, stress eating, binge-watching, yikes!  Now it’s February and I’m beginning to think summer … and beaches … and swimming …  and BATHING SUITS! 

When we were last in England (pre-pandemic), we spent some time on the Isle of Wight.  This tiny island lies just off the southern coast in the English channel.  An idyllic summer vacation destination which has long been sought after by locals who want to get away for a relaxing week-end or summer beach vacation.  Of course, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had a summer residence on the north side of the Isle, the Osborne House.  (Where didn’t they have a summer residence?).  They would spend July and August at this palatial summer home and the Island flourished because of it.  This Royal stamp of approval then attracted many other famous Victorians, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and John Keats are just a few of the historical greats who were inspired by this “Enchanted Isle”.

Very easy to get to, the fastest and most fun way is by hovercraft (which, of course, we did).  A quick ten-minute ride floating over the ocean and you’re there!  The hovercraft docks in the small hamlet of Ryde.  Now a little down-on-its-heels, this once thriving beachfront community still boasts a grand lady of a hotel, The Royal Esplanade.  An impressive Victorian structure, built in 1865, on the site of what was Kemps Original Royal Baths.

Kemps Royal Baths were popular with people from all over the country.  ‘Taking the waters’ as it was called, was a very popular remedy for ill health.  Promoted as beneficial for gout, liver problems and rheumatism, thousands flocked to Ryde for relief of these and other common ailments.  On their first visit to this, or other beachside resorts, most people had never seen the ocean before and the thought of going into the sea was a daunting experience. Kemps also, however, had the answer. They supplied a brilliant invention which was becoming popular at all seaside resorts in Great Britain and around Europe.  Enter the BATHING MACHINE!

During Victorian times, men and women were segregated at the beach.  To be seen in your bathing costume was scandalous!  Bathing Machines allowed an individual to enter, in their street clothes, on land, at one end … change into their bathing costume … and exit from the other end … stepping down into the sea.  If you wished to use a Bathing Machine, you would go to a waiting room, pay your fee and your name would be put on a list.  First come … first serve.  While waiting, of course, you’d have a cuppa, read the newspaper or chat with other customers.  It was very social.  Friends of the same sex would go together, or family members could share a Machine.

These wooden carts were then pulled or rolled into the ocean, by horses or men.  They had walls, a roof, a door at each end and wooden steps leading down into the sea. This wooden box on wheels prevented anyone from seeing the bather from the shore, providing complete privacy on a very public beach!  Some machines were even fitted with canvas canopies to provide a private enclosed space so that the bather was completely hidden from view while in the water.  In 1805 Walley Chamberlain Oulton wrote about the Bathing Machine: “The bather descending from the machine by a few steps is concealed from the public view, whereby the most refined female is enabled to enjoy the advantages of the sea with the strictest delicacy.”

Most people could not swim.  If the person using the bathing machine was not a strong swimmer, he or she could request a ‘dipper’.  A dipper was a strong swimmer, of the same sex as the customer, of course, who would assist the customer in and out of the ocean, or teach them how to swim.  Additionally, a cord might be tied around the customer’s waist and then tied to the end of the box, making sure he or she was not ‘carried out to sea’.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had a bathing machine (which has been recently restored and is on display at Osborne Beach).  The Queen’s bathing machine was quite ornate with not only a front porch, but curtains, and a toilet.

Bathing Machines were used for over 150 years.  And should you visit the Isle of Wight today, you’ll see many of these private bathing boxes, without wheels, lining the golden, sandy beaches and being used as beach huts.  Many are furnished with tables, chairs and even a little kitchenette, fully equipped so that you can enjoy a cuppa while sunbathing.  How civilized!
The BATHING MACHINE might be a throwback to Victorian times, but given our bulging Covid-15 populace, and the fact that its already February and we’re still social distancing, it could quite possibly make a comeback this year.

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References:  Isle of Wight, Wootton Bridge, Historic Ryde, History Answers, BBCNews, Wikipedia, Workshops,
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Mother’s Milk

I am the grandmother of yet another grandbaby … which number it is, honestly, I’ve forgotten.  All that matters is each one is perfect and I love them all.  Their name, however, may occasionally slip away from me (but just for a moment).  While visiting with the new Momma recently, it was necessary to reassure her that she’s doing ‘a wonderful job’ and, ‘yes, it will get easier’.   It was quite fascinating to discuss how many beliefs, ideas and customs have changed since I had my first baby (some 50 odd years ago) to today.  From swaddling to breast feeding to when to introduce solid foods – on and on.  Today, the issue at hand was ‘breast feeding’ … and not necessarily ‘should I or should’t I’, but how there was a time when it wasn’t an issue to be decided by the new mother at all.  Doctors discouraged it, opting instead for the “modern and scientific” way to nourish your newborn … “formula”.

When I think of it now, why was this manufactured substitute for mother’s milk the recommended method and why was it referred to as “formula”.  A name which has stuck to this very day.   Did a marketing genius decide the name “formula” would comfort the then new mother who only wanted to give her newborn all the nutrition and love it needed, or was it just a tag name that ‘stuck’.

It really wasn’t that long ago when, if a new mother did not have milk to nurse her newborn, or did not survive childbirth, there were very few choices.  In Israel, 2000 BC, breastfeeding was considered a religious obligation.  Wet nurses were not only practical, but necessary, and in biblical times, held in very high esteem.  From an Egyptian medical encyclopedia, 1550 BC …

“To get a supply of milk in a woman’s breast for suckling a child:
Warm the bones of a sword fish in oil and rub her back with it.
Or: Let the woman sit cross-legged and eat fragrant bread of 

soused durra, while rubbing the parts with the poppy plant
.” 

A recent scene from the PBS program, Queen Victoria, showed Lehzen, Queen Victoria’s secretary, interviewing new, lactating mothers from the village to see who had the largest breasts and could possibly nurse the future heir to the throne for the soon-to-give-birth Queen.  Queen Victoria was never interested in breast feeding any of her nine babies, so a “wet nurse” had to be found for each of them.

The scene was actually quite disturbing when you consider that should the lactating new mother be chosen she would have been required to give up nursing her own infant in order to be available at a moment’s notice to feed the infant of the Queen.  Queen Victoria was not alone in her decision.  For many aristocratic women of those times, this was quite a common occurrence.  Because of the necessity of wet nurses, for some poorer women, it was actually a means of providing an income for their families … yes, a career choice.  But by the early 1900s, with the introduction of modern and scientific ways to feed infants, the career of wet nursing had pretty much disappeared.

Although feeding bottles of one sort or another had been in use in every culture since the beginning of time, it wasn’t until the 19th century when Elijah Pratt invented a functional and successful rubber nipple so that orphaned newborns could “latch” on simulating a mother’s breast.  Now the problem was what to put into those bottles that didn’t result in so many infant deaths.  They needed a “formula”.

Obviously, animal milk (cows, sheep, goats) was the most common source of replacing mother’s milk but nutritionally, it was inferior to breast milk.  In 1865 a German scientist,  Baron Justus von Liebig, suggested that if foods consisted of protein, carbohydrates, and fats, couldn’t these nutrients then be combined to replicate mother’s milk?  He did not challenge the idea that mother’s milk was the perfect food for an infant, but rather he claimed he had succeeded in concocting an emergency food, a “formula”, whose chemical makeup was identical to that of mother’s milk.  Two years later, the Baron introduced “Liebig’s Soluble Food for Babies” to the European market and by the next year it was being manufactured and sold in London by the Liebig’s Registered Concentrated Milk Company.


Many doctors began proclaiming these “formula foods” (which consisted of dried cow’s milk, wheat malt flour, and potassium bicarbonate) to be superior to the milk of wet nurses.  With the Industrial Revolution now well underway and many women in the workforce, it’s easy to understand how this now “doctor recommended” infant formula food became so appealing.  Unfortunately, with the lack of necessary nutrients missing, “formula” fed babies did not thrive as babies nourished with mother’s milk.

Baby “formulas” continued to be improved and, with the introduction of evaporated milk in the 1910’s, began to be widely commercially available.  Milk corporations began funding clinical studies which suggested that babies fed with evaporated milk formulas thrived “as well as breastfed babies”.  Soon there were dozens of companies manufacturing these products.  The best known of which was Nestle.  Nestle’s advertisements said it was better for babies than milk, for “impure milk in hot weather is one of the chief causes of sickness among babies.”  Their most effective marketing campaign was giving away free samples.  Another company, Mellin’s, combined this offer with free handbooks on proper infant care.  Not only did these handbooks convince new mothers of the reasons to feed their infants “formula”, they convinced many doctors as well.

By the 1940s, bottle designs had also improved, from those which lay flat with openings on either sides, to those which stood up straight, each with detachable rubber nipples.  Whatever the design, they were becoming very popular, and by the 1950s, the U.S. and Britain welcomed the introduction of heat-resistant upright Pyrex bottles.  These newly-improved, hygienic bottles could be sanitized, adding another layer of safety for newborns.

The aggressive marketing of “formulas” in not only the U.S. and Europe, but in developing countries as well, contributed to a global decline in breastfeeding.  This decline generated negative publicity for many manufacturers of baby “formulas”, and beginning in the 1970s, the movement to promote breastfeeding began.

The controversy of whether to feed your baby naturally or with “formula” was not my intent.   My intention was merely to examine the original question of why do we call this alternative food for mother’s milk “formula”  and why was I never given the choice of whether to nurse my babies or not.  I think I’ve found the answers.

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References:  Food Timeline, Alimentarium, Domestic Geek Girl, The Journal of Perinatal Education,

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The Diminutive Lady Who Ruled the World

I’ve been fascinated by Queen Victoria since watching “VICTORIA” the new Masterpiece series which began on PBS this past year.  Jenna Coleman, who rose to fame as the adorable side-kick on the on-so-popular British tv series, Dr. Who, plays the young, diminutive, but strong-willed Queen beautifully.  The series so intrigued me that when I saw the book, VICTORIA, THE QUEEN by Julia Baird, I just had to pick it up.  Described as “An intimate biography of the woman who ruled an empire” it is just that.  At 695 pages, it wasn’t a weekend read, but, I have to admit, once I delved into the pages, I couldn’t put it down.

At the age of 18 and just under 5′ tall, Alexandrina Victoria was never suppose to rule Great Britain.  This tiny teenager was actually fifth in line under her father, Edward, the Duke of Kent . When Edward realized that his siblings were not producing any heirs and that the throne might, in fact, become his, at the age of 51 he choose a young woman to wed, who gave birth the following year to the future monarch.  One year later, Edward died and it seemed his vision was to become reality.

Victoria never wanted to become Queen and, as a young girl, when faced with the possibility that this would become reality, would burst into tears.  Sinister plots and threats to kill her always loomed over her head.  Victoria’s mother would never allow Victoria to be alone or play with other children without a guardian, and made sure Victoria had an official ‘food taster’.

Of course, as Victoria blossomed into a young woman and her ascension to the throne became more evident, many a young man sought her hand in marriage. Although some of her suitors were dazed by the possibility of power, her mate had already been selected … by her Uncle Leopold … his son, Albert (yes, her cousin*).

     *Aristocratic families often intermarried.  It wasn’t until the mid 1800’s that the medical           establishment began to be opposed to the practice, citing developmental issues.

Potential heirs to the throne were not surviving.  Victoria was next in line.  And it was with the announcement by private courier at 6am on the morning of June 20th of King William IV’s death did this 18 year-old teenager become the “Queen”.

Victoria immediately rose to the job of monarch of this vast nation, despite the thrashing and naysaying of the ministers, clergy and noblemen.  With her very first address before Parliament, strong-willed and determined, Victoria proved that this little slip of a girl, whose feet could not reach the floor when she sat o the throne, was a formidable force, to be respected and admired. But, could she rule alone?  Queen Victoria also needed to be married.

Although the marriage was, more or less, a foregone conclusion, Victoria did fall madly in love with (her cousin) Albert … and he with her.   Despite her concerns about being a wife and mother and not the decisive, powerful, ruling Monarch that she thrived to be, three years after meeting the tall, dark and handsome Albert, they were wed.

The Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, February 10, 1840

Victoria had a fight on her hands, however, because she wanted the intellectual and ambitious Albert to be recognized not just as her husband, but as a well-respected and well-paid, member of her Kingdom.  She also wanted her husband to realize that SHE was the Sovereign and that nothing could stop her from ruling her country.  Slowly, Prince Albert began immersing himself in assisting Victoria with her ever-increasing duties as Queen.  Victoria loved being married and loved being Monarch of Great Britain.  She was devastated, however, to find out, after only a few weeks of being married that she was pregnant.  How was she to balance being a Queen with being a wife and mother?

Nine months later Victoria gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Victoria Adelaide, the first of her nine children. Surviving childbirth at that time was a challenge, with approximately 5 in 1,000 women dying from complications during labor and delivery.  Infant mortality was much higher, about 75 in 1,000.

Within the year, baby number two was on the way and despite her earlier protestations, Victoria was becoming less and less interested in political matters.  Meanwhile, Albert, a dedicated husband and father, took a greater role in handling matters of State, especially regarding slavery, working conditions and education, as well as the arts and sciences. Unfortunately, Albert suffered his whole life with, what we know today as Crohn’s disease.

The royal family divided their life between Buckingham Palace, the Isle of Wight and their beloved Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where they could relax and be at peace. The children were growing and setting off on their own with schooling, marriage, adventures and misadventures.  Although Victoria was strong-willed and well educated, she depended upon Albert more and more, frequently referring to him as her “Lord and Master”. Her confidence as a ruler was slipping and she questioned her decisions.  But as Albert was taking a stronger hold in politics, his health was declining rapidly.  Then after 21 years of marriage, at the age of 42, Albert died.

Victoria was heartbroken.  She did not attend her husband’s funeral and threw herself into mourning, referring to herself not as the Queen, but as the “brokenhearted Widow”.  Dressed now only in black, with no adornments, for four years she was unwilling to appear in public. Then around the fifth year, although Victoria still continued to insist she was weak and feeble, politically, she slowly came back to being the force she was before marriage.

Never again would Queen Victoria wear anything but a simple black frock.  She would go on to rule the then most powerful country in the world until her death at the age of 82.  The “people’s Princess”, Victoria, was the longest reigning monarch until the present Queen Elizabeth II.

Beginning as a young child, Victoria recorded her most intimate thoughts and actions.  She was religious in keeping a calendar of all events, good and bad, to which she looked back on and celebrated continuously.  She was a voracious letter writer, and a very talented artist.  She loved to dance, play the piano and she cared very much about animals.

Edward, Prince of Wales, by Queen Victoria 1843

One of the reasons we know so much about Queen Victoria is because of the very important diaries and letters she wrote.  It is believed that, upon her death, Victoria had written a total of 60,000,000 words (2,500 per day), amounting to volumes of material (most of which have now been edited, some destroyed) which remain in the Royal Archives.

My point in writing this blog was not to give you more information about Victoria the Queen, but to share with you a woman, who, like the rest of us, loved deeply and emotionally, enjoyed fun and laughter, as well as serene, quiet moments, and upon whom extreme responsibility and pressure was forced.  She was not perfect, by any means.  She could be brash and selfish … certainly self-absorbed and obstinate … and battled depression for years.  But, Victoria, like most of us, was fragile and needy at times, and gave of herself, perhaps too much, at other times. Keeping her weight under control was a battle she ultimately gave up on.  She despised racial prejudice and injustice.  She loved to surround herself with beauty.

Yes, Victoria was the ruler of an empire who left a very impressive legacy, but she was a lover, a wife, and a mother, and admittedly not the best mother she could have been.  She was also a strong and passionate lover of her family, her country and the responsibility that was hers.  I think I would have liked Victoria!

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References:  Too many references to mention, but some included:  Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine,  Albert Prince Consort, Queen Victoria, NY Times,  History, Julia Baird
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Chocolate – The Elixir of Love

Every February we are inundated with tv, internet, magazine and newspaper ads all selling the “passion” of chocolate. Roses have been pushed aside.  Valentine cards are a thing of the past.  Now chocolate has become the one true symbol of love and romance.  I need to find out not only how our obsession with chocolate began, but  where our love for chocolate started.

If you’ve read my blog “The John Company” then you know how “tea came to Great Britain.  It was Queen Elizabeth I who gave the East India Company a charter to go out in search of spices, competing with the Spanish and the Dutch.  Not only were spices necessary for preserving foods, spices made spoiled foods taste better. Spices were also used for embalming the dead, in religious practices, and as medicine.   Nutmeg was the most cherished of all spices because it was believed to be a miracle cure for the plague, which killed more than 35,000 people in London in 1603.

Over the 60 years during which they had a monopoly, The East India Company did bring back spices … pepper, cinnamon, clove, saffron, ginger and nutmeg … and they also brought back tea, coffee and cacao beans.  But it was actually the Spanish who are credited with introducing “Chocolate” to Europe.

Coffee House – 17th century

By the mid-17th century coffee houses were well established in London. These male-dominated “penny universities” were the social and political centers of London.  No woman would dare enter.  Although alcohol was not served, these places were not always ‘high brow’ destinations. In fact, King Charles II made an attempt to ban them altogether by 1675, but the public was so outraged, it was withdrawn.

Coffee was served, tea was just being introduced and alongside coffee and tea a new “hearty drink called “Chacolate” was starting to peak London’s curiosity.  In 1659 Thomas Rugg wrote in his Diurnal … “And theire ware also att this time a Turkish drink to bee sould, almost evry street, called coffee, and another kind of drink called tee, and also a drink called Chacolate, which was a very harty drink.”

Historians have been able to trace the origins of “Chocolate”, which is the result of roasting the ground beans of the cacao plant, back to as early as 1900 B.C. in Mexico, Central America and South America.  The Mayans and Aztecs used the pulverized seeds of the cacao plant, together with water and chili pepper, to brew ceremonial drinks.  They actually believed the cacao bean had divine and magical properties, which made it suitable for use in the most sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death.   The word “Chocolate” comes from the Maya word “xocoatl” which means “bitter water”.

Cacao beans were also used in trade as currency.  In 1545 a list of Aztec prices illustrates the value of this precious bean:  1 good turkey hen for 100 cacao beans, 1 turkey egg for 3 cacao beans, 1 fully ripe avocado for 1 cacao bean, 1 large tomato for 1 cacao bean.   Unfortunately, according to a report at that time from Hernando de Oviedo y Valdez, cacao beans also bought:  a slave for 100 cacao beans. services of a prostitute for 10 cacao beans, and a rabbit dinner for 4 cacao beans.

It’s hard to know who to credit in the mid-16th century with introducing Spain to the cacao bean and the “hot beverage” that was made from it.  Was it the explorer Christopher Columbus, the conqueror Hernán Cortés, or was it the returning missionary Dominican friars?  Whoever it was certainly made an impression on the Spanish court.  This hot, bitter beverage made from the pressed blocks of dried cacao beans and hot water became a hit with Spanish aristocracy, but only after they began adding honey or sugar to it.  They found it most enjoyable when mixed with milk and flavorings such as vanilla, cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice and chilies.

“Chocolate” then migrated from Spain to France because of the marriage of Spanish King Philip IV’s daughter, Marie Thérèse, who, when she married French King Louis XIV, introduced these hot and hearty drinks to her French entourage.  King Louis XIV became so very fond of chocolate, he actually granted a monopoly for manufacturing this beverage to David Chaillou, a French importer.

Back in England, it was an entrepreneurial Frenchman now familiar with this wonderful elixir who, wanting to elevate the chocolate experience in London, removed it from the bawdy coffee house atmosphere and in 1657 opened the first “chocolate house”.  As always, the wealthy elite were the only ones who could afford this luxurious experience.  Tea was very dear, selling at approximately £26 per pound … which, when you consider the average income was less than £10 per year, was outrageous … and chocolate was just as expensive!

But where did the allure of chocolate as an aphrodisiac come from? The Spanish were quite observant in noticing that the Aztec emperor, Montezuma, drank copious amounts of this cacao bean beverage before he visited his harem.  Montezuma, is said to have drunk cold, thick chocolate from golden goblets daily, which were thrown away after only one use.  And when returning to Spain with the new elixir these Spanish explorers were quite eager to tout the aphrodisiac properties to the Spanish court.  The explorers also described this native “food of the gods” as a drug, able to treat a variety of ailments.

It is said that the French aristocrat, Marquis de Sade, became quite proficient in using chocolate to disguise potions.  The following is taken from a guest’s diary at an elaborate ball given in 1772 by the Marquis:

“Into the dessert he slipped chocolate pastilles so good that a number of people devoured them. There were lots of them, and no one failed to eat some, but he had mixed in some Spanish fly. The virtue of the medication is well known. It proved to be so potent that those who ate the pastilles began to burn with unchaste ardor and to carry on as if in the grip of the most amorous frenzy. The ball degenerated into one of those licentious orgies for which the Romans were renowned…”

Needless to say, the European’s love for chocolate grew, especially when they believed it to have nutritious, medicinal and properties able to increase their libido.  But, like tea, it remained a privilege of the rich.  In the 1700’s, the British obsession for chocolate (and sugar) grew to such proportions they established colonial plantations in tropical regions around the world just to grow cacao and sugar.  Sadly, we all know what happened when European diseases were transmitted into these countries which, to the then privileged Europeans, didn’t stop them from going in search of cheap labor.

Chocolate was always a hot (or iced) drink until 1828 when Dutch chemist, Coenraad Johannes van Houten, invented a specialized hydraulic press  to squeeze the fatty cocoa butter from the roasted cacao beans, leaving behind a dry cake which could then be pulverized into a fine powder.  (We still see “Dutch process” as a way of branding cocoa today.)  This fine powder could be mixed with liquids, poured into molds and solidified into edible, easily digestible chocolate which paved the way for the solid chocolate we all know and love.  This also resulted in making chocolate affordable to everyone. And in 1830, J. S. Fry and Sons, a British chocolate maker, is credited with making the first solid, edible chocolate candy bar.

50 years later, J. S. Fry and Sons merged with another company you may have heard of … Cadbury.  In 1824 John Cadbury opened a grocery store in Birmingham, England.  In addition to groceries, he sold drinking chocolate, which he prepared himself using a pestle and mortar.  Van Houten’s 1828 invention allowed for a much more affordable and versatile product, enabling Cadbury to sell 16 flavors of drinking chocolate.  And when Daniel Peter from Switzerland puts the first milk chocolate on the market, the appeal for chocolate skyrocketed. In 1913 another enterprising Swiss, Jules Sechaud, introduced the process for filling chocolates.  We haven’t looked back since!

So how did we get from there to being the one true symbol of love and romance?  English philosopher, James Wadsworth, translated the Spanish works Treatise (1640), which poetically combined the descriptions of this new hot chocolate beverage with the promise that if you drank enough chocolate anyone would become “faire and amiable.”  Both England and France used this statement as a powerful marketing tool.

Cadbury’s Valentine’s Day Box

St. Valentine’s Day, as a romantic holiday, was well established by the 1840’s.  It first appeared in the writings of Chaucer during the medieval period in 1382 with knights giving roses to their maidens and serenading them with songs.  By the 1840s, the Victorian era of excess was well underway and they were indulging in chocolate, tea, Cupid and romance.  Richard Cadbury recognized this as a great marketing opportunity and designed an elaborately decorated box in which he would put their Cadbury chocolates.  From that moment on, Cupids and roses were put on heart-shaped boxes everywhere.

In 1907, the American chocolate company, Hershey, launched production of its revolutionary tear-dropped shaped “kisses,” (named because of the smooching noise made by the machines as the chocolate was manufactured). Let’s not forget from the earliest days of movies, chocolate has been an important cast member.  Jean Harlow’s seductive performance in the 1933 film Dinner at Eight linked chocolate and sexuality forever, as she suggestively nibbles her way through a giant box of chocolates.  And who will ever forget the classic episode of “I Love Lucy” when Lucy and Ethel worked on a chocolate factory assembly line?

Chocolate lovers are passionate about chocolate, but does chocolate really create passion? Scientists have isolated phenylethylamine (PEA) which is a stimulant found in chocolate (as well as many other foods), and also in the brain.  A minuscule amount of this stimulate is released at moments of emotional euphoria, which raises blood pressure and heart rate.  Although we have learned about the many antioxidant benefits of high-percentage cacao in chocolate, there really is no scientific proof that chocolate is an aphrodisiac.

Does any of this matter?  Not really … because who doesn’t love the luscious, pleasurable sensation of chocolate as it melts in your mouth? And, for me, a velvet-covered, heart-shaped box full of divine chocolates is the quintessential Valentine’s gift.

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References:  Wikipedia, Message to Eagle, Chocolate of the Month, Cornell University, History, Cadbury, Public Domain Review, Smithsonian,
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Christmas Pudding

Christmas Pudding is deep, dark and dense.  This moist, sweet dessert is stuffed with dried fruits and nuts, and served with a rich, creamy sauce.  Much like a fruitcake, Christmas Pudding is one of those ‘love or hate’ desserts.  In our home, we love it!  And it’s the season, or at least it will be in a very short time, and my hubby couldn’t enjoy Christmas without it.  To be clear “pudding” in England is not defined as the sweet, dairy dessert we have here in the States. Although “puddings” in the U.K. are usually served at the end of the meal, they can be sweet or savory, and can also be encrusted in a pastry shell … or not.

Originating in medieval times, Christmas Pudding known then as Plum Pudding  or Figgy Pudding (for some reason all dried fruits were either called “plums” or “figs”), still holds true to those medieval roots.  To preserve fruits, they were dried … animal fats were also used as a means of preserving foods … and spices were used to cover up the taste of rancid foods.  Yummy!  Cooking appliances, of course, were very limited.  An open hearth was about all you had where you could set a boiling pot or skillet.

christmas-pudding-card

The beloved Queen Victoria and Prince Albert adored Christmas and all things traditional.  A grand, flaming “Plum Pudding” always took center stage on their table.  Perhaps that is one of the reasons why this sweet, dense dessert is still seen on tables all around the U.K.

Christmas Puddings or Plum Puddings are certainly available to purchase.  You can find them in the international aisles in most grocery stores and you can certainly findchristmas-pudding-buy them in British import stores.  They can be a bit pricey, but if cooking is not your ‘thing’ or you don’t have time, be sure to pick one up.  They are delicious!

Now it’s time to make my Christmas Pudding.  As with every traditional recipe, each family or region has their own version.  To write down exactly how much of what ingredient is almost impossible.  Both my grandmothers, who were very good cooks, could never tell you “exactly” how much to use of any recipe.  It was always a pinch of that, or a handful of this.  That’s pretty much what this old-fashioned pudding recipe consists of … a pinch of this and a handful of that.

Although this pudding can be made and served the same day, it does much better when made two to three weeks in advance to allow the flavors to deepen.  When you are ready to make the pudding, you do need to plan your day. This will require 5 to 7 hours of steaming on top of the stove.  The larger the pudding, the longer the steaming time.   It was the style during Victorian times to use grand, ornate molds to steam the puddings.  Not having one, I used a bundt pan, making one large pudding, which required 7 hours of steaming.

Adding a gold coin for good luck in the coming year has become a tradition in some homes.  If you are going to add a coin or a charm, be sure it has been thoroughly cleaned.  Lastly, the pound of dried fruits can consist of any combination of fruits you like.  I used 1/4 lb. each of sultanas, pineapple, mango and prunes.  Mix it up and use whatever you like.

Now have a go!

CHRISTMAS PUDDING
You will need to know how many you’re going to make … one large, two or more?  Be sure the bowls or molds are heatproof and can fit into your covered pot.  You will also need parchment paper and aluminum foil.  

  • ¾ cup rum or brandy or vodka or sherry
  • 1 pound of mixed dried fruits – currants, golden raisins, sultanas, pitted prunes, dates, apricots, pineapple, mango, candied peel, glace cherries, etc.  Any assortment will do.
  • 8 oz. melted butter
  • ¾ cup dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • zest and juice from one orange
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (more or less)
  • 2 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup chopped nuts, walnuts/almonds/pecans (optional)
  • Grated rind and juice of one orange
  • ½ cup vodka (to flame the pudding)

christmas-pudding-1Cut the pound of dried fruits up into even-sized pieces.  Kitchen shears or scissors is the easiest way to do this.  Make sure all the pieces are about the same size.

christmas-pudding-2Put the mixed fruits into a bowl and pour the liquor over.  Mix well, cover and let steep overnight or up to a week.  I used a sweet liquor made from the tamarind fruit.  Soooo good!

christmas-pudding-3aThe next day, or later that same day, combine the dry ingredients and spices in a small bowl.  In another bowl, mix together the brown sugar, orange peel, orange juice, honey and melted butter.

christmas-pudding-4Beat in the eggs one at a time.  The batter will appear to have curdled.  Not to worry.  Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

christmas-pudding-5When combined, add the steeped fruits and nuts and mix to combine thoroughly.  If the batter is too wet, add more flour.  Now you can add the “lucky charm”.  Put a large pan of water or steamer on to boil. Place a saucer in the bottom to keep the pudding mold from touching the bottom of the pan.  Generously grease the pudding mold(s).

christmas-pudding-6Pour the batter in the prepared mold or bowl, pressing the mixture down and tapping it to get rid of any air bubbles. Then wrap it with a layer of parchment paper and foil so that it is completely watertight.  It will rise a bit and needs room at the top.

christmas-pudding-8It’s also important to trim away any excess parchment paper and foil.  You don’t want any steam traveling into the mold and making your pudding soggy.

christmas-pudding-9Put a small plate upside down inside the pan to keep the mold/bowl from touching the bottom of the pam.  Then place the mold into the pan of water. The water should come at least halfway or more up the side of the bowl or mold.

christmas-pudding-10Bring the water to a boil, cover tightly and steam for 5 to 7 hours, checking every now and again to make sure the water hasn’t bubbled away.  The longer you let it steam, the darker it will get. After 5 to 7 hours, remove the mold carefully and let it cool completely. Discard the paper and foil and rewrap with fresh.  Store in a cool, dry place or the refrigerator for up to four weeks.

I can’t show you a photo of the finished product because this pudding is getting wrapped up and going into the frig for a couple of weeks.  It’s not Christmas yet!!  But when you are ready to serve, put the pudding (still in its mold) and still wrapped tightly into the pot to steam again, for about an hour just to reheat.

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plum-pudding-on-plate

This isn’t my pudding, but I’ll replace this photo at Christmas with my own! Thank you “living the pie life”.

To serve it, remove the mold from the pan, remove the lid, put a large plate on top and turn it upside down. Give the mold a little tap to help it out.  Decorate the top with a sprig of holly. Then bring the pudding to the table while you heat the brandy, rum or vodka in a small pan until its very hot, but not boiling.  Pour the liquor over the pudding at the table and light it.  So impressive!  Be sure to serve it with an Eggnog Cream, Brandy Cream or sweetened whipped cream.

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References:  History of Christmas Pudding,  Livin the Pie Life, English Christmas Cakes
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