Y=Yorkshire Parkin

I really need to stop writing posts about sweets! I’m having enough trouble sticking to my diet as it is. Ah, but I digress. Let’s dive in, shall we?

No one knows the exact date that Yorkshire parkin became a key staple of England’s Guy Fawkes Night, however, the moist, dense, intensely-flavored bread is now as necessary to the November 5th holiday as a fabulous bonfire.

This cake-like bread gets it’s dark color for treacle (British for dark molasses) and ginger, yet the dense structure is due to flour and oats. First out of the oven, it might be crumbly, but left in a covered tin for days or weeks, the treacle preserves, making it moist, and sticky treat.

Otherwise known as Bonfire Day, November 5th is the day when British gather to celebrate the thwarting of an attempt to assassinate King James the 1st and members of his Parliament. In addition to the bonfires, locals also burn effigies of Fawkes (who was found by authorities on Nov 5th,1605 guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder) and honor the day with an array of tasty treats, Yorkshire parkin topping the list.

The spiced loaves reach the perfect consistency if home cooks and bakeries light their ovens beginning around the end of October. It is then enjoyed with, of course, a cup of tea!