Bon appetit!!![/ size] Well, digression. First, about the Celts. CELTS, warlike tribes, in the first half of the 1st millennium BC. e. lived in the southeast of modern Germany, between the Rhine and the upper reaches of the Danube. These tribes spoke related languages ​​of the Celtic group, erected round burial mounds, used heavy swords in battle. The Celts reached their greatest power during the period of the La Tène culture, which lasted approximately five centuries prior to the birth of Christ. At the beginning of the 5th c. BC e. the Celts began to expand in all directions. They occupied Gaul, northern Italy and most of Spain (mixing with the Iberians, they formed a people here called the Celtiberians). Another wave of conquerors reached the British Isles, where separate Celtic tribes known as the Britons had established themselves two or three centuries earlier. Material from the encyclopedia “Krugosvet”. And now the traditions.. In the Middle Ages, it was customary on New Year’s Day to gather the whole family around a large table to drink a goblet of spiced ale. The owner of the house said in Saxon “To your health”, drinking a sip from the goblet, and passing it around. Each of those present took turns drinking from it a sip with the same words. Over time, the custom has changed. Among the English, the custom of wishing for health consisted in the fact that the poorer families united together and, carrying a goblet decorated with ribbons and flowers, went from house to house, asking to fill it with ale. Among the Scots, groups of men went out 1-2 hours before the New Year on the streets with shiny copper jugs filled with ale, and offered everyone they met a sip to drink. On New Year’s Eve, the Welsh wore a specially made goblet, richly decorated, with thirteen handles. They put apples, cookies in it and poured them with hot beer mixed with spices. Such a decorated goblet was carried to the homes of newlyweds or new settlers. They were congratulated and given a drink from the goblet. For all the peoples of the British Isles, a plentiful treat for the New Year was also characteristic. The notion was widespread that an abundance of food on the first day of the New Year could provide an abundance of food throughout the year. In Scotland, in the past, on New Year’s Day, all houses were open to visitors. Everyone who came with congratulations had to eat a spoonful of oatmeal or barley porridge as a guarantee of abundance, and drink a sip of ale. In some parts of Wales, it was a common custom among farmers on New Year’s Day to treat everyone who helped with the harvest. Those who had to visit many houses began their rounds in the morning. And now, special traditional dishes are prepared for the New Year: oatmeal cakes, pudding, a special kind of cheese – kebben, are usually served for breakfast, boiled goose or steak, pie or apples baked in dough for lunch. And here is about my cakes. Traditional cakes of the Celtic peoples had a round shape with a hole in the middle. When baking, the main thing is not to break them, as this was considered a bad omen.
I must say right away that there are few cakes from this amount of ingredients, only 15 pcs. (although, it’s like someone ..) So, first you need to mix all the dry ingredients. Flour (an incomplete glass, leave a little to sprinkle the work surface. Do not sift the flour), oatmeal, salt .. Add cayenne pepper. Do not be afraid, it does not add pungency to the finished product, but only adds a touch of piquancy. Brown sugar. And baking powder. Add melted butter. It needs to be cooled down a bit. Knead a fairly dense dough, if necessary, add a little flour. Or milk if the dough is very dense. We roll out quite thinly, ~ 2mm. To cut the cakes, we need two molds or containers of different diameters. I have a cup and a glass. You need to get a circle with a hole in the middle. Gather the rest of the dough and roll it out again. If it is already difficult to assemble (the dough is dense + rolling on flour), you can add a little milk and knead again. Lay the patties on a baking sheet sprinkled with flour. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees until golden brown. The main thing is not to miss the moment, because they are golden rather quickly and turn brown just as quickly.