A Midwinter Feast from Dark Rye and Honey Cake: Festival baking from the heart of the Low Countries by Regula Ysewijn

HANS FRANCKEN (1581–1624): *Winter still life with pancakes, waffles and duivekater*, KMSK Brussels. You can see (clockwise from top left) a decorated vollaard, peperkoek, waffles, pancakes, fritters, lemon (which is often squeezed over pancakes and fritters), a letter biscuit, syrup, white bread rolls, nuts, apples and medlars.

Bread is life. It’s therefore no wonder that bread plays an important role in festival events and seasons. This isn’t exclusive to the Low Countries. Celebratory decorative loaves are a part of the culture of feasting in many countries; their shapes often associated with religious, symbolic or superstitious beliefs. Bread can be shaped like bundled babies, animals, saints and eternity symbols, or peculiar shapes where the meaning is lost in time. Festive breads most often appear around New Year and Easter, but also at the feasts of certain saints and heroes.