Parkin is a gingerbread cake traditionally made with oatmeal and black treacle,[1] which originated in northern England. Often associated with Yorkshire,[2] it is widespread and popular elsewhere, notably in Lancashire. Parkin is baked to a hard cake but with resting becomes moist and even sometimes sticky. There are regional differences, for example in Hull and East Yorkshire, it has a drier, more biscuit-like texture than in other areas whereas in Lancashire it is generally made with golden syrup rather than the treacle used elsewhere. Parkin is traditionally eaten on Guy Fawkes Night,[3] 5 November, and when celebrating 'Yorkshire Day' on 1st August. But is also enjoyed throughout the winter months. It is baked commercially throughout Yorkshire, but is mainly a domestic product in other areas.
The origin of the word parkin is unknown. The first published dated reference to parkin was collected from 1728 from the West Riding of YorkshireQuarter Sessions when Anne Whittaker was accused of stealing oatmeal to make parkin. The Lancashire schoolmaster and poet Tim Bobbin describes tharf cake in 1740, and this is recognisable as a parkin.[4] A possible older use of parkin is in the seventeenth century ballad 'The song of Arthur O'Bradley' that purports to describe a merry wedding from the time of Robin Hood (fourteenth century)
When Arthur, to make their hearts merry Brought ales and parkin and perry.[5]
The tharf cake is of ancient Teutonic origin, as tharf or theorf meant 'unleavened, un-fermented, solid tough or sodden' in Old English. John Wycliffe in his translation of the Bible in 1389 (Mark Ch.14.v. 1) calls unleavened bread a "tharfloove" [a][6]
HistoryEdit
Parkin is virtually unknown in the south of England[citation needed]. It is eaten in an area where oats were the staple grain for the poor, rather than wheat. It is closely related to tharf cake – an unsweetened cake cooked on a griddle rather than baked.[7] The traditional time of the year for tharf cakes to be made was directly after the oat harvest in the first week in November. For festive occasions, the cake would be sweetened with honey. In the seventeenth century (about 1650) sugar started to be imported from Barbados,[b] and molasses was a by-product of the refining process. Molasses was first used by apothecaries; to make a medicine theriaca, from which name the word treacle is derived.[8] As molasses became plentiful, or treacle as it became called at that time, it was substituted for honey in the preparation of tharf cakes.[9]
In Northern Europe honey was used as a medicine, for festive cakes and making mead; before 1750 sweetness was not a characteristic of everyday food. Honey cakes had a special festive significance. They were baked to be hard, but after storage for a couple of weeks they regained their moisture becoming soft and even sticky. Molasses has hygroscopic properties. German Lebkuchen and Pfefferkuchen were other examples of hygroscopic holiday ginger-breads. They too were baked hard in summer and allowed to moisten for consumption at Christmas.[10]
Though parkin and tharf cake appear to be synonymous, all parkins generally were sweet tharf cakes.[6]
Tharf cakeEdit
Parkin and tharf cake were used interchangeably in Lancashire and South Yorkshire until 1900. Over the 500 years the recipe and taste of these cakes have changed considerably. It was the food of the poor.[citation needed] Ovens were rare in the houses of the poor, and they generally had no access to public bakers before the 1820s, so the cakes were cooked on griddles or bakestones on an open fire.[11] The best parkin was made with fresh oatmeal, which fixes the date around the first week in November.
FestivitiesEdit
In southern Lancashire and West Yorkshire, parkin is linked to the Guy Fawkes Night celebration. Jennifer Stead, in her study Prodigal Frugality, identifies the link between Guy Fawkes and parkin as the bonfire.[10] The first two weeks in November had many Christian festivals, and like Celtic festivals that preceded them they were celebrated with a fire and ritual cakes. November starts with All Hallows Eve, that runs into All Saints Day (1 November), which is followed by All Souls Day (2 November). Little Lent and the forty-day fast until Christmas, started at Martinmas. (11 November). On All Souls Day soul cakes were baked. The Martinmas fair was important being the traditional day when cattle were bought and sold, and servants were hired for the following year. It was also the date that cattle were slaughtered and salted to preserve them for the winter and for general feasting and dancing.[12]
The Celtic festival of Samain,[c] the festival of the dead on 1 November, was celebrated with special cakes and bonfires. It was Christianised into All Hallows by the church in 837 AD, and the culinary tradition continued. When Guy Fawkes in 1605 gave the English church a reason to celebrate with a bonfire, the tradition was adopted under the new name, just four days later on 5 November.[12] During the period of industrialisation many traditional holidays were discontinued but Guy Fawkes Night continued to be celebrated. In the nineteenth century (1862), parkin and treacle toffee with potatoes baked in the fire had become the traditional foods of Guy Fawkes Night, and in Leeds, November 5 became known as Parkin Night.[12]
IngredientsEdit
The principal ingredients of a Yorkshire Parkin are oatmeal, flour, black treacle (similar to molasses), fat (traditionally lard, but modern recipes use butter, margarine or rapeseed oil), and ginger. Oatmeal and golden syrup are generally considered distinctive features of Lancashire parkin, whilst Yorkshire Parkin is baked using treacle and soft brown sugar.
The flour used in parkin in England is self-raising, containing a small amount of chemical leavening agent. If this is not available, or if the proportion of oatmeal is high, it is essential to add a leavening agent, e.g. baking powder or a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar.
One of the key features of parkin is that it retains its texture well. It is baked to be hard, but after storing in a sealed tin or box for several days, it becomes soft again, the texture that is intended.
Lancashire Parkin straight from the oven
More treacle or brown sugar gives parkin a dark colour
Stead, Jennifer; Wilson, C Anne; Brears, Peter; Hunter, Lynette; Pollard, Helen (1991). "6". In C. Anne Wilson (ed.). Traditional Food East and West of the Pennines. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN0-7486-0118-X.
Cloake, Felicity (2 November 2017). "How to make the perfect parkin". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
October 15, 2023
parkin, cake, other, uses, parkin, disambiguation, parkin, gingerbread, cake, traditionally, made, with, oatmeal, black, treacle, which, originated, northern, england, often, associated, with, yorkshire, widespread, popular, elsewhere, notably, lancashire, par. For other uses see Parkin disambiguation Parkin is a gingerbread cake traditionally made with oatmeal and black treacle 1 which originated in northern England Often associated with Yorkshire 2 it is widespread and popular elsewhere notably in Lancashire Parkin is baked to a hard cake but with resting becomes moist and even sometimes sticky There are regional differences for example in Hull and East Yorkshire it has a drier more biscuit like texture than in other areas whereas in Lancashire it is generally made with golden syrup rather than the treacle used elsewhere Parkin is traditionally eaten on Guy Fawkes Night 3 5 November and when celebrating Yorkshire Day on 1st August But is also enjoyed throughout the winter months It is baked commercially throughout Yorkshire but is mainly a domestic product in other areas ParkinYorkshire parkinPlace of originEnglandRegion or stateNorthern England YorkshireMain ingredientsFlour oatmeal molasses ginger lard or butter Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2 1 Tharf cake 2 2 Festivities 3 Ingredients 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Notes 5 2 Footnotes 5 3 BibliographyEtymology EditThe origin of the word parkin is unknown The first published dated reference to parkin was collected from 1728 from the West Riding of Yorkshire Quarter Sessions when Anne Whittaker was accused of stealing oatmeal to make parkin The Lancashire schoolmaster and poet Tim Bobbin describes tharf cake in 1740 and this is recognisable as a parkin 4 A possible older use of parkin is in the seventeenth century ballad The song of Arthur O Bradley that purports to describe a merry wedding from the time of Robin Hood fourteenth century When Arthur to make their hearts merry Brought ales and parkin and perry 5 The tharf cake is of ancient Teutonic origin as tharf or theorf meant unleavened un fermented solid tough or sodden in Old English John Wycliffe in his translation of the Bible in 1389 Mark Ch 14 v 1 calls unleavened bread a tharf loove a 6 History EditParkin is virtually unknown in the south of England citation needed It is eaten in an area where oats were the staple grain for the poor rather than wheat It is closely related to tharf cake an unsweetened cake cooked on a griddle rather than baked 7 The traditional time of the year for tharf cakes to be made was directly after the oat harvest in the first week in November For festive occasions the cake would be sweetened with honey In the seventeenth century about 1650 sugar started to be imported from Barbados b and molasses was a by product of the refining process Molasses was first used by apothecaries to make a medicine theriaca from which name the word treacle is derived 8 As molasses became plentiful or treacle as it became called at that time it was substituted for honey in the preparation of tharf cakes 9 In Northern Europe honey was used as a medicine for festive cakes and making mead before 1750 sweetness was not a characteristic of everyday food Honey cakes had a special festive significance They were baked to be hard but after storage for a couple of weeks they regained their moisture becoming soft and even sticky Molasses has hygroscopic properties German Lebkuchen and Pfefferkuchen were other examples of hygroscopic holiday ginger breads They too were baked hard in summer and allowed to moisten for consumption at Christmas 10 Though parkin and tharf cake appear to be synonymous all parkins generally were sweet tharf cakes 6 Tharf cake Edit Parkin and tharf cake were used interchangeably in Lancashire and South Yorkshire until 1900 Over the 500 years the recipe and taste of these cakes have changed considerably It was the food of the poor citation needed Ovens were rare in the houses of the poor and they generally had no access to public bakers before the 1820s so the cakes were cooked on griddles or bakestones on an open fire 11 The best parkin was made with fresh oatmeal which fixes the date around the first week in November Festivities Edit In southern Lancashire and West Yorkshire parkin is linked to the Guy Fawkes Night celebration Jennifer Stead in her study Prodigal Frugality identifies the link between Guy Fawkes and parkin as the bonfire 10 The first two weeks in November had many Christian festivals and like Celtic festivals that preceded them they were celebrated with a fire and ritual cakes November starts with All Hallows Eve that runs into All Saints Day 1 November which is followed by All Souls Day 2 November Little Lent and the forty day fast until Christmas started at Martinmas 11 November On All Souls Day soul cakes were baked The Martinmas fair was important being the traditional day when cattle were bought and sold and servants were hired for the following year It was also the date that cattle were slaughtered and salted to preserve them for the winter and for general feasting and dancing 12 The Celtic festival of Samain c the festival of the dead on 1 November was celebrated with special cakes and bonfires It was Christianised into All Hallows by the church in 837 AD and the culinary tradition continued When Guy Fawkes in 1605 gave the English church a reason to celebrate with a bonfire the tradition was adopted under the new name just four days later on 5 November 12 During the period of industrialisation many traditional holidays were discontinued but Guy Fawkes Night continued to be celebrated In the nineteenth century 1862 parkin and treacle toffee with potatoes baked in the fire had become the traditional foods of Guy Fawkes Night and in Leeds November 5 became known as Parkin Night 12 Ingredients EditThe principal ingredients of a Yorkshire Parkin are oatmeal flour black treacle similar to molasses fat traditionally lard but modern recipes use butter margarine or rapeseed oil and ginger Oatmeal and golden syrup are generally considered distinctive features of Lancashire parkin whilst Yorkshire Parkin is baked using treacle and soft brown sugar The flour used in parkin in England is self raising containing a small amount of chemical leavening agent If this is not available or if the proportion of oatmeal is high it is essential to add a leavening agent e g baking powder or a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar One of the key features of parkin is that it retains its texture well It is baked to be hard but after storing in a sealed tin or box for several days it becomes soft again the texture that is intended nbsp Lancashire Parkin straight from the oven nbsp More treacle or brown sugar gives parkin a dark colourSee also EditFlapjack oat bar List of English dishesReferences Edit nbsp Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe module on Lancashire Parkin Notes Edit Pask and the feeste of therf looves was after the secunde day Mark Ch 14 v 1 Molasses had been imported from Sicily into England is small quantities since the late 13th century 8 It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals Samhain Imbolc Beltane and Lughnasadh Footnotes Edit Roberts Chris 2006 Heavy Words Lightly Thrown The Reason Behind Rhyme Thorndike Press ISBN 0 7862 8517 6 Bates Margaret 1964 Talking about Cakes Penguin Books p 88 Lepard Dan 3 November 2007 100 Year Old Parkin The Guardian London Retrieved 21 May 2010 Stead 1991 p 170 Quoted in Carr W 1828 The dialect of Craven London a b Stead 1991 p 161 Stead 1991 a b Stead 1991 p 157 Stead 1991 p 159 a b Stead 1991 p 160 Stead 1991 p 172 a b c Stead 1991 p 162 Bibliography Edit Concise Oxford English Dictionary s v parkin Stead Jennifer Wilson C Anne Brears Peter Hunter Lynette Pollard Helen 1991 6 In C Anne Wilson ed Traditional Food East and West of the Pennines Edinburgh University Press ISBN 0 7486 0118 X BBC good food Discussion of Parkin Day Cloake Felicity 2 November 2017 How to make the perfect parkin The Guardian Retrieved 2 November 2017 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Parkin cake amp oldid 1168395568, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
