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Clay Masters and Ngoc Bui

Samhain: The Irish harvest festival behind Halloween

Barmbrack bread
Barmbrack is a traditional bread dotted with currants that's eaten to celebrate Samhain, a festival that's been celebrated for millennia in Ireland to mark the end of the harvest and remember loved ones who have passed away.
Photo courtesy of Beth Dooley

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While we may think of Halloween as an American holiday, food writer Beth Dooley says the holiday actually has roots in a harvest festival celebrated in Ireland on Nov. 1 each year. It’s called Samhain.

It marks the end of the harvest and the lifting of the veil to the spiritual world, allowing spirits to “walk among us” in the human world.

People enjoy a variety of foods for Samhain such as barmbrack, a traditional bread with currants; and colcannon, a hearty cabbage and potato dish. During this time, food will also be left out for loved ones who have passed away.

For more on Samhain, click play on the audio player above. Dooley’s barmbrack recipe is below.

Recipe: Irish Barmbrack

Makes 1 large or 3 small loaves, freezes nicely

  • 3-1/3 cups whole wheat flour

  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 tablespoon melted butter

  • 1 tablespoon treacle or dark honey

  • 1-2/3 cups buttermilk

  • 1/2 cup currants or raisins

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of melted butter for brushing over the dough

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and baking soda.

  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, butter, treacle and buttermilk.

  3. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the liquid ingredients. Mix well, adding more buttermilk if it seems too dry; the dough should be soft. Work in the currants and knead the dough several times and shape into a ball.

  4. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and pat into a large round loaf or divide into three smaller loaves. Brush the dough with melted butter.

  5. Bake the large loaf for about 50 minutes to 1 hour and the smaller loaves for 35 to 45 minutes. The bread should be crusty and browned and sound hollow when tapped.