The Yule Log
During the Georgian era (when the King’s George I-IV reigned over England, 1740-1830) Christmas began to be more lavishly celebrated in England. Beginning on St. Nicholas Day (December 6), the Christmas or Yultide would last through Twelfth Night on January 6.
Christmas Eve was the day when most household decorating took place – it was actually considered bad luck to bring any greenery into the house before then – boughs of holly (sound familiar?) and pine were strung into garland, tied up with bows and hung about the house. “Kissing boughs” were also popular and were made of mistletoe and holly. Hung strategically in public rooms, each couple would remove a mistletoe berry after their kiss.
One tradition that made it’s way to England some time in the 1600’s, though no one is quite sure when, is that of the Yule Log. In pagan times, the Yule Log was brought into the house on the Winter Solstice to celebrate the end of the winter season. The log would be decorated with holly or pinecones to cleanse the air of the previous years events and to welcome the coming of spring. The log would even be anointed with wine or salt.
Originally it was an entire tree that was brought into the house on Christmas Eve, with the large end placed into the hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room! By the time the Georgian era came around, the Yule Log had been changed to a large log or branch – traditionally oak – that was chosen by the family, brought into the house and burnt. The goal being to have it last as long as possible through the Twelve Days of Christmas. Any part of the log that remained after Twelfth Night was set aside in the house and the coal was used to light the next Yule Log the following December.
Somehow over the years, the Yule Log has evolved from a slow burning log into something of a more…tasty…nature, Walk into any bakery at this time of year and you will see display after display of the French Yule Log cake known as bûche de Noël. Depending on your bakery this could be really delicious or, like it’s namesake, somewhat woody. in order to bypass this you can make one of your own.
This treat is a rolled cake with a flavored filling, decorated to look like a log of wood. Sometimes you’ll see it decorated with fondant gnomes, and Santas, though the traditional is made with marzipan foliage and meringue mushrooms (so cute!). While the cake and filling are easy to make, it’s the assembly that is not for the faint of heart. A thin layer of sponge cake, spread with a layer of the filling is then rolled into a round(ish) shape with the ends cut of and placed to look like branch stumps. Iced with chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar, it should end up looking like a snow shrouded log.
Should you wish to attempt a bûche of your own, there are a myriad of recipes for you to try or you can click here for my favorite recipe!
If you want to burn your own Yule Log this year, you can adopt the French tradition. This consists of cutting off pieces of the larger log and burning a piece each night through the Twelve Days of Christmas. For a little extra holiday cheer, you can have your log burn in colors! Different chemicals added to the wood burn in different colors. There are a multitude of instructions out there on the internet (which I will not list here due to liability), but you can have your Yule Log burn in colors by sprinkling it with different chemicals. Each chemical gives off it’s own color. For example:
- Potassium Nitrate = Violet
- Barium Nitrate = Apple Green
- Borax = Vivid Green
- Copper Sulphate = Blue
- Table Salt = Bright Yellow
If you don’t trust yourself with chemicals, there are now flame color kits available for purchase here.
For those without a fireplace or Yule Log of your own, this one has been quite popular over the years. Alas, no colored flames…
I hope this inspires you for Christmas, there really is nothing so mesmerizing or soothing as watching the flames dancing around the fire place and enjoying the heat it gives off. Add some friends, family music and a slice of bûche with coffee and it is the perfect evening!
* Sources: Historic UK, Why Christmas, History *Photo of bûche: Epicurious
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