4 Traditional Halloween Foods from Around the World

Halloween is a traditional festival held every year at the end of October, with lively dress-up and fun activities that draw in children and adults alike. But have you ever wondered what traditional foods are eaten on Halloween? Let's find out with VN Cooking!

Pumpkin soup

We all know that pumpkin lanterns are the symbol of Halloween. But not everyone knows that pumpkin soup is also an essential traditional Halloween dish. Each country and region has its own way of making pumpkin soup, such as pumpkin soup cooked with lamb or beef. 

Pumpkin can also be used to make sponge cakes and bakes with creative Halloween decorations.

Soul cakes

When it comes to traditional Halloween foods, we can't leave out soul cakes. They are widely eaten on Halloween night and come from an English custom. People in England believed that on Halloween, when the souls of the dead awoke and ate these cakes, they would soon find peace and be released.

Soul cakes are biscuits with raisins arranged in a cross on top. They taste like Vietnamese cinnamon cookies and are loved by many people.

The cakes can be decorated in all sorts of creative shapes, such as skulls and ghosts.

In Austria, people often place soul cakes on the graves of the dead, while in Germany people often make black soul cakes. In some countries, people send soul cakes to strangers' homes completely at random, hoping they will pray for their departed loved ones. They believe that prayers from strangers for their family members will help the newly deceased find peace more quickly, and the more cakes are given out, the more prayers are said. Children usually save soul cakes to eat last on Halloween, after finishing all the sweets they've collected in their pumpkins.

Colcannon

Colcannon is also a traditional Irish Halloween dish. It is made from mashed potatoes, kale or cabbage, salt, pepper and so on. You can also add milk, cream, onion, garlic and more to make it richer and more appealing. 

But what makes colcannon special is the coin or small charm that the cook secretly hides inside. People believe that whoever finds the charm in their colcannon will have part of their future decided: they may stay single for a while to come. Legend also has it that unmarried girls would put some colcannon in a sock hung on the front door, and the first man to walk through the door would be their future husband.

Barmbrack

This is one of the must-have Halloween foods and comes from Ireland. Barmbrack is made with candied peel and dried fruit, and it looks like an ordinary sponge cake. 

But what's special are the objects hidden inside that are said to foretell the future. Three objects are mixed into a traditional barmbrack: a coin, a piece of cloth and a ring. The ring predicts the love life of whoever finds it. Traditionally, the ring is placed right in the middle of the cake, and whoever gets it is likely to marry before the end of the year. The coin stands for luck and wealth, while the piece of cloth stands for money troubles. 

We hope this article has taught you something useful about traditional Halloween foods from countries around the world.