Simnel Cake Origin

This doesnt sound that much like a special bread you may think but the name Simnel derives from the Latin simila the whitest and finest of flours - with which it should be made. The pamphlet was produced by Manchester based confectioners Thomas Parker and Sons Ltd who were established in 1832.

Easy Simnel Cake Lavender And Lovage

This sense of importance surrounding the Simnel cake took on a new meaning later in Christianity when the Simnel cake was used as a treat to show appreciation on Mothering Sunday and provided a break from the strict dietary restrictions associated with Lent.

Simnel cake origin. This doesnt sound that much like a special bread you may think but what made it special is that it made out of the highest quality flour possible. One account often now discounted attributes the invention of the Simnel cake to one Lambert Simnel who was the ten-year-old pretender to Henry VIIs throne of whom it is alleged for the purposes of the cake story at least that he was spared death and sent to work in the royal kitchens where he came up with the recipe. The name Simnel probably comes from the Latin word simila which means a fine wheat flour usually used for baking a cake.

The name simnel probably comes from the ancient Roman word simila meaning fine flour. After a rather violent exchange they decided to do both and their invention became known as the Simon and Nelly cake or SimNel cake. He was only 10 years old and the King knew he was being used by others as a pretender so pardoned him and employed him as a.

Simnel cake history. 1200 from Old French simenel fine wheat flour. Simnel cake in British English.

Simnel n sweet cake c. Simnel cake like many traditional foods has origins that are somewhat shrouded in mystery. When folk were fasting during Lent Mothering Sunday appearing in the middle of the fast the fourth Sunday of Lent offered a respite from 40 days of religious austerity.

To trace the origin of Simnel cake you need to go right back to mediaeval times where it began life as a yeast-leavened bread which may or may not have been enriched. Simple everyday simnel bread has been made in England since as far back as the 11th century. A myth as to the origins of the Simnel Cake is that Lambert Simnel who was a false claimant in 1487 to the Throne of England when King Henry VII ruled.

Simnel derives from the Latin simila the whitest and finest of flours. We recently came across this charming little pamphlet about the origin of Simnel Cakes in our Home Studies Collection. Fine flour Sugar butter and eggs Aromatic holiday spices Candied or dried fruits Candied citrus peel Apricot jam Zest Brandy or orange blossom water optional.

One extremely unlikely story has it being invented by as well as being named for Lambert Simnel a name that British schoolkids may be familiar with but wont ring a bell with most of us Yanks. To trace the origin of Simnel cake you need to go right back to mediaeval times where it began life as a yeast-leavened bread which may or may not have been enriched. Even the origin of the word Simnel is uncertain though most likely it is from the Latin word Simila meaning Fine Flour.

There are references to Simnel Cake in medieval literature but these seem to refer to bread rather than cake and was probably lost during the iconoclasm of the Reformation. The ingredients for a typical simnel cake include. The name simnel seems to be derived from the Latin word for very fine flour simila.

Flat bread cake Lenten cake probably by dissimilation from Vulgar Latin siminellus also source of Old High German semala the finest wheat flour German Semmel a roll a diminutive of Latin simila fine flour see semolina. Recently the Simnel cake has experienced a bit of a revival with celebrity bakers Prue Leith Paul Hollywood Nigella Lawson and Mary Berry all. A fruit cake containing a layer of marzipan often coloured with saffron and topped with marzipan traditionally eaten at Lent or Easter.

Long before the above boiled and baked cake came into being there was made an unleavened wafer of the same name. It was around the nineteenth century that simnel cake started to look like the cake we now know and was thought of as an Easter treat to. Theres a legend that a man called Simon and his wife Nell argued over.

A Simnel cake is a type of fruit cake with lots of marzipan and is eaten at Easter although it used to be specifically associated with Mothering Sunday. We dont quite know how it tasted but its often described as being boiled as well as baked. British a fruit cake containing a layer of marzipan often coloured with saffron and topped with marzipan traditionally eaten at Lent or Easter Word Origin for simnel cake C13 simenel from Old French from.

Simnel Cake What It Is And What S The Story Behind It