It's the star of our Christmas meals, the one we sometimes look forward to more than our presents: the Yule log comes in a thousand and one flavors. There's something for everyone: mascarpone or buttercream, vanilla, chocolate, chestnuts, candied fruit... Personalization even comes in the form of small decorations added to this much-loved cake. In the Renaissance and during the Revolution, tradition dictated that the log should be... hot!
Thehistory of the Yule log can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Back then, the log came from a tree: this large log was sacred. During the winter solstice, for the longest night of the year, a huge log was burned and sprinkled with oil or wine. The eldest and youngest members of the household were to place this log in the fireplace.
In some parts of France, the log was set alight on Christmas Eve, and sometimes kept alight untilEpiphany. The ashes from this log were then kept until the following year, when they were considered to bring protection and good luck to the house.
As the log burned, it purified the house and warded off evil spirits. It was a symbol of life and renewal for believers.
It wasn't until around 1870 that this wooden log was transformed into a pastry. The exact origin of the cake is not known: several pastry-makers claim paternity. Depending on the source, it may have been created by a pastry chef atParis's Hôtel de Ville in 1834; by Parisian pastry chef Antoine Charadot, inventor of buttercream, in his rue de Buci store in 1879; by Lyon chocolatier Félix Bonnat in the 1860s; or even by Prince Charles III of Monaco's ice-cream maker, Pierre Lacam, in 1898.
It's also commonly accepted that, quite simply, all these pastry chefs had the idea, at the same time, of creating a rolled cake, with designs imitating a wooden log, for the festive season. Originally, this pastry was made with sponge cake, spread with flavored buttercream and then rolled. It was also decorated with small sugar or plastic figures.
Has this story made you hungry? Discover our selection of Yule logs for this year!
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