Over the Christmas/Holiday Season I’m sure many of us may enjoy a ‘Yule Log’. It could be a Mary Berry Yule Log, or perhaps an alternative lower carb version, which incorporates blueberries. You may even have your own favourite recipe 😋 Â
you can see the Mary Berry recipe here
But did you know about the custom and history of the Yule Log?
Yule Logs could have started out as an entire tree, or very large log, that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. The largest end of the log would be placed into the fire hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room! The log would be lit from the remains of the previous year’s log which had been carefully stored away and slowly fed into the fire through the Twelve Days of Christmas. A smaller log might have been lit each evening through the 12 Days of Christmas. It was considered important that the re-lighting process was carried out by someone with clean hands. Nowadays, of course, (most) people have central heating so it is very difficult to burn a tree!
The ashes of Yule logs were meant to be very good for plants. This is true, because the ash from burnt wood contains a lot of ‘potash’, which helps plants to flower. But if you were to throw the ashes out on Christmas day it was supposedly very unlucky!
Yule Logs and Christmas Fires in Different Countries
In Provence (in France), it is traditional that the whole family helps to cut the log down and that a little bit is burnt each night. If any of the log is left after Twelfth Night, it is kept safe in the house until the next Christmas to protect against lightning!
In Cornwall (in the UK), the log is called ‘The Mock’. The log is dried out and then the bark is taken off it before it comes into the house to be burnt. Also in the UK, barrel makers (or Coopers as barrel makers were traditionally called) gave their customers old logs that they could not use for making barrels for Yule logs.Â
There are customs of ‘Yule Logs’ all over Europe and different kinds of wood are used in different countries. In England, Oak is traditional; in Scotland, it is Birch; while in France, it’s Cherry. Also, in France, the log is sprinkled with wine, before it is burnt, so that it smells nice when it is lit.
In Serbia, Croatia and North Montenegro, a large log called the Banjak is burnt on Christmas Eve. They are sometimes burnt on bonfires outside churches before the Christmas Eve service.
In Devon and Somerset in the UK, some people have a very large bunch of Ash twigs instead of the log. This comes from a local legend that Joseph, Mary and Jesus were very cold when the shepherds found them on Christmas Night. So the shepherds got some bunches of twigs to burn to keep them warm.
In some parts of Ireland, people have a large candle instead of a log and this is only lit on New Year’s Eve and Twelfth Night.
Adding Colour to Yule Logs
Different chemicals can be sprinkled on the log like wine to make the log burn with different coloured flames!
- Potassium Nitrate = Violet
- Barium Nitrate = Apple Green
- Borax = Vivid Green
- Copper Sulphate = Blue
- Table Salt = Bright Yellow
This sounds very dangerous, so do please take care and only try with adult supervision!
Edible Yule Logs
A Chocolate Yule Log or ‘Bûche de Noël’ is now a popular Christmas dessert or pudding. It’s traditionally eaten in France and Belgium, where they are known as ‘Kerststronk’ in Flemish.
They are made of a chocolate sponge roll layered with cream. The outside is covered with chocolate or chocolate icing and decorated to look like a bark-covered log. Some people like to add extra decorations such as marzipan mushrooms!”
You will find a variety of articles and recipe ideas within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.
All the best Jan
