Regina Sexton, UCC Food Historian, and Tony Kane, Member of the Irish Bakery Association & Bakery Specialist at Odlums, joined Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1 to discuss the history of barmbrack.
Bringing both the traditional Halloween brack and the popular tea brack into the studio, Tony described the fruit-filled bakes as "unique Irish products".
While tea brack is typically rectangular, Halloween brack is often round in shape and enriched with fruit, eggs, and sugar - not to mention a hidden ring.
"I feel they're cherished around this time of year," he says. "They're certainly very popular. It's nice to have Halloween brack on the table at Halloween."
While the Halloween brack is yeast-raised, making it a little tricky to make at home, tea brack is "easy peasy". Once you soak your fillings (sultanas, raisins, cranberries, apricots, nuts) in a good, strong brew of tea overnight, you need only add flour, eggs, spice, and baking powder.
Although the Halloween brack is trickier to make, it does come with the added benefit of fortune-telling.
Regina Sexton, UCC Food Historian, says that barmbrack was as entertaining as it was delicious, with past bakes holding any number of charms inside.
"The ring would symbolise marriage within the year if you got it, or you'd be the first to marry perhaps," she explained.
"The pea was to symbolise a light poverty, while the bean, which would be on the opposite side, was going to mean a life of good fortune."
A small piece of rag would foretell uncertainty to the bearer, while the button predicted a future status of spinster/bachelor.
Finally, a small stick would symbolise "future beatings from your spouse".
For obvious reasons, only the ring has remained as a popular choice of charm these days. As Tony points out, though, you must choose a good, sturdy ring that can survive the heat of the oven.
To find out more about the history of barmbracks, listen back to Today with Claire Byrne above.
