These are spiced sweet buns, typically studded with raisins or currants and marked with a cross on top. Their origins trace to pre-Christian pagan traditions, where ancient peoples (including Saxons honoring the goddess Eostre) baked crossed buns for spring festivals symbolizing rebirth and the moon’s quarters. In Christian tradition, an English monk at St. Albans Abbey is credited with baking spiced buns marked with a cross on Good Friday in 1361, distributing them to the poor.
The cross represents Jesus’ crucifixion, while spices evoke the embalming spices used on his body. Buns became linked to breaking the Lenten fast. In Tudor England, their sale was restricted except on Good Friday, Christmas, and funerals. Today, they are enjoyed worldwide during Easter as a symbol of faith, renewal, and the end of Lent.
ICE Alum Meredith Hayden Goes from Viral TikTok Chef to Cookbook Queen
The 2019 alum has amassed a major social media following — and turned her life as a private chef into food media stardom. Read more here: https://t.co/XHysOVuLHX pic.twitter.com/BK0XpThB78
— Institute of Culinary Education – NY & LA (@iceculinary) November 5, 2025
vvsfasdfasdf
