Sugarplums

Sugarplums belong to the comfit family, a confection traditionally composed of tiny sugar-coated seeds. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word sugarplum thusly: "A small round or oval sweetmeat, made of boiled sugared and variously flavoured and coloured; a comfit." The earliest mention of this particular food is 1668. The term also has another meaning "Something very pleasing or agreeable; esp. when given as a sop or bribe," which dates to 1608. Did you know? According to the food historians, the word plum in Victorian times referred to raisins or dried currants, not plums as we Americans think of them today. Notes from Alice Ross on Christmas Pudding (aka plum pudding).

"Sugarplums were an early form of boiled sweet. Not acutally made from plums...they were nevertheless roughly the size and shape of plums, and often had little wire stalks' for suspending them from. They came in an assortment of colours and flavours, and frequently, like comfits, had an aniseed, caraway seed, etc. at their centre. The term was in vogue from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, but is now remebered largely thanks to the Sugarplum Fairy, a character in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet (1892.)"

---An A-Z of Food & Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 329)

Visions of sugarplums/Sharon Cohen...history and instructions for making them.

What are comfits?

"Comfit, an archaic English word for an item of confectionery consisting of a seed, or nut coated in several layers of sugar...In England these small, hard sugar sweets were often made with caraway seeds, known for sweetening the breath (hence kissing confits). Up to a dozen coats of syrup were needed before the seeds were satisfactorily encrusted. Comfits were eaten a sweets, and also used in other sweet dishes; for example seed cake was made with caraway comfits rather than loose caraway seeds as in the 19th century. Confectioners as early as the 17th century recognized by varying the proportions of sugar in the syrup they could change the final texture, making pearled comfits or crisp and ragged comfits. The word comfit remained in use in English up until the 20th century: Alice, of Alice in Wonderland, has a box of comfits in her pocket."

---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 208)

"Comfit making demanded both leisure and special equipment; a ladle, a slice, a basin to heat the sugar suspended from cords over another bowl containing hot coals, and yet another basin in which the seeds, fruits or spices were treated. Molten sugar was ladled over them, and after each application they had to be dried and cooled. Several coats of sugar were needed. Caraways will be fair at twelve coats; and even crisp and ragged comfits, for which the sugar was boiled to a greater height, required eight to ten coats. Fortunately there were professional confectioners in the larger towns. So the gentle woman unequaled to the task of creating her own banqueting fare could purchase it herself, or commission kinsfolk or friends to bring back sweetmeats when they travelled on business."

Christmas Food & Recipes

If you are spending Christmas on the Costa del Sol but still want to enjoy a Christmas lunch on the 25th in a hotel or restaurant, in a typically British or other European style of cooking, this will not be too difficult. But if you are in a small village inland or in one of the towns or cities back from the coast, you will be able to enjoy the local specialities of the season, often including game, lamb and other dishes. Many traditional Andalusian restaurants and bars may be closed on the 25th, so it would be best to find out and book up in advance for a Christmas Eve dinner. It is also important to be aware that the prices charged on this special day of the year for eating out are usually much higher than normal, so if you are on a budget, it is best to check on the expected price while booking.

As regards Christmas decorations, the Nativity Scene is the centre of the Andalusian home, school, church and many commercial establishments - rather than the Christmas tree that many of us are used to from colder countries. However, real and artificial trees are becoming more in evidence now, showing the northern influence once again. Main Andalusian cities, such as Malaga now set up a huge Christmas tree in the main square, the Plaza de la Constitución, where locals and visitors enjoy the festive atmosphere while out shopping and socialising.

On the lead up to Christmas in the shops and supermarkets you will see many of the traditional seasonal foods on display. Particularly popular in the range of packaged sweets are polvorones and mantecados (small sweets/biscuits), marzipan and many different types of turrón (nougat). Normally you will see this on sale in pastlerías (cake shops) as well as in supermarkets and smaller and specialist food shops. The village of Estepa is renoun for the best polvorones.

Most of the polvorones and mantecados are manufactured the village of Estepa, about 100 kilometres from Seville. Although many years ago, these would be made at home, most people now buy them in large boxes of individually wrapped sweets. Traditionally the main ingredients are lard, sugar and flour. From this basic recipe are added different flavours, such as anise, cinnamon and sometimes wine. They are very popular and very much a part of Christmas, but certainly not a particularly good bet for the weight watchers.

The marzipan comes in tempting and dangerously delicious bite-size pieces, in regular and sometimes in moulded shapes for variety. The wonderful turron, or nougat, is another of the representative foods of Christmas and, like the other sweets, it is often placed as the central display of shops and supermarkets on the lead up to the 24th and also right up to King's day on the 6th January, after which you will have to hunt for them or go to special shops to seek them out later in the year. Turron has a fairly long shelf life, so if you really love it, buy some and keep it to enjoy well into the New Year.

If you want to enjoy a typically Andalusian Christmas, you may be able to have your turkey and eat it, so to speak. The main dish in many Andalusian homes is usually'Pavo Navideño' (Christmas Turkey). Although it may not be quite like the roast turkey you make at home, there are many variations on the way it is prepared in Andalusia. Below is just one of the many recipes used.