There is a certain sense of nostalgia that tends to overcome people when they gather for the holidays to celebrate their traditions over elaborate meals. In the past, families made holiday foods such as mincemeat pies, fruitcake, king's cake and latkes that were rich in tradition, with stories that have been handed down for hundreds of years. As time marches on, though, are these foods becoming lost in the pages of your grandma's dust-covered cookbooks?
According to Traci Kelly, a UW-Madison engineering professor and food historian, the declining popularity of making traditional holiday foods is partly a product of business' increasing role in holidays.
""The commercialization of the holidays has caused a great decrease in kitchen traditions such as the preparation of antique recipes,"" she said. ""Families are spending less time in the kitchen preparing old treats such as these. Hence their stories are slowly being lost as well.""
According to Kelly, some traditional foods have carried on, but in a different form. The mincemeat pie is a British dessert served for Christmas and New Year celebrations. Traditionally, the pies were made from bits of meat mixed with a variety of dried fruit, nuts, spices and liquor. However, Kelly said over time, the pies have been modified, and now most are meatless pastries filled with a sweeter fruit mixture.
Similar to today's mincemeat pies, fruitcake is another sugary delicacy made with fruits and nuts that has traditionally been enjoyed during the holiday season.
According to members of the Culinary Historian Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW), fruitcake has a rich history—it can be found in societies all across the world and dates back to ancient Egypt. Originally, the members said, fruitcake was given to ancient pharaohs in Egypt as a gift, and later, Roman warriors used fruitcake as the first ""energy bar"" on the battlefield.
Art Bartsch, better known as the ""Fruitcake Professor"" and head of research and development for The Swiss Colony, Inc. bakery in Monroe, Wis., has found a true appreciation for fruitcake.
Bartsch, along with other Swiss Colony, Inc. employees, said he believes fruitcake is wrongfully ridiculed and is the perfect example of a food that embodies the gift-giving spirit of the holiday season.
However, many holiday treats are time-consuming and hard to prepare in the kitchen. For this reason, many holiday gift-givers now turn to specialty bakeries and confectionery shops for their traditional holiday indulgences and gifts.
Gail Ambrosius, owner of Gourmet Chocolate Shop, 2086 Atwood Ave., said holiday specialties make her sales rise significantly.
""This time of the year, much of our sales consist of stocking stuffers and Hanukkah Gelts [chocolate coins wrapped in foil],"" she said. ""Items are literally selling as fast as we make them.""
Graciela Rojas, manager of Emian's European Bakery, 4544 Monona Dr., also said her store sees a drastic increase in business due to its holiday specialties.
""Just the other day we received an order for 2,000 of our special Christmas cookies,"" she said. ""Every year we sell around 5,000 or more Christmas cookies.""
In addition to their classic sugar cookies, Emian's specializes in making king's cake, a traditional Catholic food said to honor the biblical legend of the three wise men who visited Jesus on the 12th day after his birth.
""Every January 6, we sell around 500 or more loafs of king's cake made from a sweet dough with fruit and nuts,"" Rojas said. ""It is a wonderful tradition that my family partakes in and I am glad we can assist other families in enjoying it, as well.""
Some families still prefer to prepare traditional foods themselves. Joe Regenstein, a visiting food science professor from Cornell University, said he loves making latkes, or fried potato pancakes, with his family during Hanukkah.
Regenstein said the religious history of Hanukkah, celebrating the miracle of the oil burning for eight days when the Temple of Jerusalem was rededicated, plays a role in its culinary traditions.
""The important thing is to eat greasy food that week,"" he said with laughter. ""The big debate in our family is do you serve latkes with sour cream or with apple sauce?""
Despite a decline in preparing some foods, culinary tradition still plays an important role in the holidays for families from all different backgrounds. Perhaps to better appreciate these traditions this year, it is important to ask not where holiday gifts come from, but the food.
