Yule log is one of the indispensable cakes on Christmas.
This cake originated from France with the original name “Bûche de Noël”.
There are many theories about the origin of this food. One of the theories is that the dish originated from ancient Celtic customs burning large trees all night long at the end of the year to celebrate the return of the sun after the cold winter days. The ash of this log is kept to cure and protect the house from storms, lightning and demons. And if the tree burns out before the end of the festival, that’s a sign of a bad omen for the year.
The tradition of burning big trees gradually disappears. People replace large wooden logs with small branches put on the table and hang on it many candies and Christmas decorations to welcome guests. Later, this tradition gradually transformed into a familiar Christmas Yule log as we see it today.
It is said that on the night before Christmas, Westerners often go to the forest to cut a big log and take it home to celebrate the offertory. The log was placed on a fireplace, sprinkled with some oil, salt, and hot wine and people pray. Legend has it that the sound of a crackling fire and the charcoal powder from this burned tree will protect the house from natural disasters and the intrusion of demons.
Legend has it that Yule log was born around 1875 when a French baker come up with the idea of making a tree shaped cake for Christmas instead of a real log.
The cake recipe was probably created by Joseph Fabre in 1905. Nowadays, the Yule log is popular in Europe and America, then gradually spread to Asian countries … Many people think that eating Yule log will bring good luck in the new year and ward off bad luck.
To make this cake, you will use a sponge cake rolled into a cylinder, covered with chocolate or buttermilk, use a fork to trace the bark. Increasingly, the decoration on the Yule log becomes more and more creative. Today it has more fruits, more shapes and colors and is an indispensable dish at Christmas.
