Here we come a-wassailing?
What exactly is a sugar plum?
For generations, we’ve been singing those old-timey Christmas tunes, crooning about figgy puddings and roasted chestnuts. But do you know what we’re actually singing about?
Most Christmas carols we know and love rose in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th century, even though most of the holiday cuisine featured in them has long disappeared from the holiday table.
Figgy pudding (Figgy Duff to us Newfoundland and Labradorians) may not be on the menu as much anymore, but it’s featured in songs like We Wish You a Merry Chrismas, while roasted chestnuts in Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song paints a picture most of us have never experienced during the holiday season.
Did you know that sugar plums are candy? They are not, in fact, sugared plums, but hard candy layered with sugar.
What about wassail? It’s basically a spiked cider. These songs give us a taste of the past, but does anyone drink wassail anymore?
Yes and no. Google the term and there are lots of recipes (with or without booze) that are similar to spiced apple punch. Centuries ago, it consisted of mulled ale, roasted apples, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and sugar, along with curdled cream and eggs. These days, most have omitted the dairy in their wassail in favour of a mulled cider vibe.
The tradition surrounding wassailing consists of visiting friends and family at their homes (or in days gone by, their orchards) sharing their delicious drink from giant bowls. The term wassail is an Anglo-saxon greeting: “Wæs þu hæl,” which means, “be thou hale” or “be in good health.”
In most parts of the world, wassailing isn’t celebrated much anymore, but with mummering alive and well (at least in NON-COVID times) in Newfoundland, a drop of wassail would be appreciated here on the East Coast. It’s all about spreading holiday cheer and celebrating with those we love, and while there won’t be much communal wassailing going on this Christmas (drinking from a communal bowl is definitely not COVID friendly) a little or a lot of a warm, cozy drink won’t go unappreciated this holiday season.
HOLIDAY WASSAIL
A centuries-old tradition is updated with the addition of bourbon and bitters.
4 cups apple cider
1 lemon sliced
1 orange sliced
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
3 star anise
1/2 inch of freshly grated ginger Pinch of nutmeg Bourbon (about 1.5 ounces per drink)
Angostura bitters
Combine all the non-alcoholic ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for an hour.
Pour hot wassail into a mug with 1.5 ounces of bourbon, add a dash of bitters.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick, lemon slice or thinly-sliced apple