The Rural Voice, 2004-12, Page 39classic proportions of one part sugar
to two parts butter to three parts flour
were mixed together and placed in a
lightly floured eight -inch (20 cm)
round wooden mold carved with a
thistle. The dough -filled mold was
then inverted onto a baking sheet,
released from the mold, and baked in
a slow oven.
Once baked, the shortbread was
cut into wedges that were given the
name "petticoat tails". This name
was derived because the shape of the
shortbread wedges was similar to the
bell-hooppetticoats worn by court
ladies in the 12th century.
And of course one of the most
visible symbols of Christmas
these days is the candy cane,
seen on many Christmas cards and
greeting ads in newspapers and
hanging from many Christmas trees.
The candy owes its association to
Christmas to the expense of sugar in
the early days, says the Oxford
Companion to Food.
"When sugar first became known
in Europe it was a rare and costly
commodity, valued mainly for its
supposed medicinal qualities and
finding its place in the
pharmacopoeia of the medieval
apothecary. Sugar gradually became
more widely available in Europe
during the Middle Ages. In Britain it
was considered to be an excellent
remedy for winter colds. It might be
eaten in the form of candy crystals...
or it might be made into little twisted
sticks which were called in Latin
'penida', later Anglicized to
`pennets'."
One popular story about the origin
of the candy cane is that a German
choirmaster in 1670, worried about
keeping his young singers occupied
during a long church service, handed
them the first candy canes. There are
various explanations for the shape
including that it is shaped like a
shepherd's crook or that it's really a
"J" for Jesus.
A Canadian Christmas has
become a blend of so many traditions
from so many countries. Those
traditions often shape the market for
products of our modern farms. And
with our culture becoming more
multicultural all the time, perhaps the
traditions of new groups of citizens
will change the foods we eat and the
foods we grow.0
ciyter &
ssociates1
5.o. all out f tienda neat and (at,
we of f enc cut than&a and beat cuianea.
Converting to computerized accounting 44,
Training in QuickBooks
Accounting and tax preparation
CAIS Applications
CFBAS Applications
Glenn Hayter, CMA, CFP
Phone: (519) 482-5840
Payroll
Investment Counseling
Financial Planning
Estate Planning
Fax: (519) 482-5627
320 Victoria Street, Clinton, Ontario NOM 1L0
Email: general@hayter.on.ca
Air
Happy Holidays!
Wishing you all the best
of the Season, with
thanks for your friendship
\117
Et support throughout
the year!
PARKER
®PARKER
LIMITED,
Wayne Cook
(519) 236-7390
•
DECEMBER 2004 3�