For many, Halloween means scary costumes, spooky parties and events, sweets, pranks, or horror movies. For us, Halloween means one thing above all else: delicious food! That's why we want to introduce you to some delicious recipes for your Halloween
breakfast
or Halloween party. But first, back to the basics: Where does the name Halloween actually come from, and what is behind the whole tradition?
The Old Tradition of Halloween
Halloween is now also often celebrated in our broad circles. Today, Halloween is celebrated on the night before All Saints' Day, from October 31 to November 1. Halloween originated in Ireland over 5,000 years ago, as a Celtic custom. At that time, the end of the year was celebrated on October 31. To be precise, the ancient Celts celebrated a kind of death festival called "Samhain," which means "the end of summer."
At the festival, the Celts said goodbye to summer, as at that time only two seasons were distinguished: summer and winter. The ancient Celts believed that the time of summer is the time of life, while the time of winter is the time of death. According to the Celts, these two worlds meet on the night of Samhain.
To honor the dead, the families would offer food to their deceased, which was eaten together. With the ancient Celts, this custom also changed over the centuries, and as people became increasingly afraid of death, the ritual of dressing up as creepily as possible arose.
Since death was particularly present and near on the night of "Samhain," the Celts believed that they could outwit death by dressing in such a way that death would think they had already died and therefore no longer needed to fetch them. To chase and placate the spirits, people also placed small gifts in front of their houses.
Halloween became known in the USA through Irish immigrants, the descendants of the Celts, who immigrated to the USA by the thousands in the 19th century, bringing the tradition from Ireland. This tradition has also changed greatly over the years and has spread widely over the centuries, especially in the USA and Canada.
Where does the term "Halloween" come from?
Incidentally, the name "Halloween" has not been around as long as the original festival. Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day on November 1. This day is called "All Hallows" in English, and the evening of October 31 is therefore called "All Hallows Evening." The abbreviation for this is Halloween.
The luminous pumpkins and their legend
For Halloween, pumpkins are often hollowed out and adorned with creepy faces, as well as a candle, and placed in front of houses. The glowing pumpkins are also known as Jack-O-Lanterns. This name goes back to the horror legend of Jack O., who is said to have been a cunning scoundrel during his lifetime.
According to legend, on the night before All Saints' Day, he outwitted the devil by trapping him, and the devil had to promise to leave him alone for the next 10 years should he release him.
After 10 years, on the night before All Saints' Day, the devil visited Jack O., who asked him for an apple, which the devil was to pick for him as his last meal. Once he had lured the devil into the tree, Jack O. is said to have carved a cross into the tree trunk, causing the devil to be trapped in the tree. In his hopeless situation, the devil had to promise Jack O. that his soul would not go to hell.
After a few years, Jack O. died, and he looked forward to heaven. However, he was not allowed to enter due to his many sins and was also not allowed to go to hell due to the devil's promise. That's why Jack O. walked the world undead.
Out of pure compassion, the devil is said to have given him a piece of coal from hellfire. Jack O. then placed this coal in a hollowed-out turnip so that it would not burn up. The turnip has likely evolved into today's pumpkin, and even today, the pumpkins with various faces remind us of this legend.
Halloween at Verival
At Verival, of course, we don't miss any opportunity to come up with new recipes using our
breakfast products
. Suitable for Halloween, we would therefore like to introduce you to a delicious recipe for hearty muffins with our pumpkin-tomato porridge, chocolate cupcakes with our chocolate banana porridge, and delicious cereal breakfast cookies for a delightful Halloween breakfast or as a
snack
in between.
Recipe: Hearty Pumpkin Tomato Muffins
Ingredients
- 100 g pumpkin tomato porridge
- 100 g flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 40 ml olive oil
- 100-150 ml milk or plant-based drink
- Optional dried tomatoes
- Optional Feta
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
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First, mix the porridge, flour, baking powder, and a little salt and pepper in a bowl.
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Then add the eggs, olive oil, and milk.
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Add dried tomatoes and/or feta as desired.
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Mix well and place in muffin tins.
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Bake the muffins in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
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Allow to cool and serve with some cream cheese.
Recipe: Banana Chocolate Porridge Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 100 g flour
- 50 g Verival chocolate banana porridge
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 70 g sugar
- 100-150 ml milk or plant-based drink
- 30 ml coconut oil
- 1 pinch of baking soda
- 1 pinch of baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 150 g dark chocolate coating
Icing
- 300 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50 ml milk or plant-based drink
- 50 g (vegan) butter
Preparation
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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients.
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Gradually add the milk and oil and mix well.
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Melt the couverture in a water bath and add to the dough. Bake muffins for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
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For the icing, mix icing sugar, vanilla extract, and butter with a hand mixer.
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Then put in the fridge for a few hours.
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Before applying, let stand a little at room temperature and then spray onto the cupcakes in a circular motion.
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To decorate, splash some dark chocolate in the form of spider webs on a piece of baking paper and cool in the fridge, then place the spider web on the cupcakes.
Recipe: Muesli biscuits
Ingredients
- 100 g Verival Muesli
- 40 g flour
- 50 g agave syrup or honey
- 50 ml milk or plant-based milk
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Choice of chocolate chips
Preparation
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Mix all ingredients together.
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Place a baking sheet on a tin and drop the mixture in small balls with a little space.
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Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.
