Why are they called St. Lucia buns?

The night of December 13th is called Lussinatt. Legend has it that  it was a scary night where light and darkness would fight each other. This night was considered the longest night of the year. This night was the beginning of the Christmas period when the supernatural being Lussi could spread chaos.

It was her job to check that everything was ready for the Christmas celebrations. A black cat always stayed at Lussi’s side. We celebrate St Lucia’s Day on the 13th of December. These two traditions are now mixed together.

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Lussekatter i en kurv på et bord.
Lussekatter i en kurv på et bord.

Lussi’s cat

The name Lucia comes from the Latin word “lucius”, which means shining. The name Lussi comes from old stories. People ate a “lussebit” to protect themselves from evil spirits. They believed that you had to eat something evil to get rid of it.

Why aren’t the buns black since we eat Lussi’s cat? Yellow is a symbol of the light and the sun. The yellow color comes from the spice saffron which is yellow.

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En svart katt ligger på en grå sofaen og ser inn i kamera.
En svart katt ligger på en grå sofaen og ser inn i kamera.

Ingredients

  • 7 oz. butter
  • 1.7 cups of milk
  • 1.7 oz yeast
  • ½ teaspoon saffron
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup of sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 6-7 cups of plain flour
  • 1 egg, beaten, for glaze
  • 2 tablespoons of raisins for decoration
Mel på en mørk benkeplate.
Mel på en mørk benkeplate.

Method

    1. Melt the butter and add the milk. Heat the mix until it is about 37 °C / 98.6 °F. Mix the yeast into the mixture.
    2. Mix in the saffron and stir well.
    3. Add salt, sugar and egg.
    4. Add the flour bit by bit and mix into a smooth dough.
    5. Cover the bowl with plastic film and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size (about 1 hour) in a warm place. Preheat the oven to 225°C / 437 °F.
    6. Work the dough and roll into 16 thin snakes. Curl the ends in opposite directions so that they form an “S” with spirals at each end. This is the traditional shape of St. Lucia buns.
    7. Place raisins in the centers of the “S” spirals.
    8. Place the St. Lucia buns on a baking sheet. Let rise under a kitchen towel for 15-20 minutes.
    9. Brush with egg wash.
    10. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.
Pensle lussekatter med egg
Pensle lussekatter med egg

Sources:

  • Magisk jul – Tradisjon og overtro (2018)
    Orage Forlag AS

Media Rights:

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