Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio Belgian Waffles, Santa History and Baking Problems Solved!
Dec 19, 2025
Regula Ysewijn, a Flemish food writer and festival baking expert, delves into the rich culinary traditions of Belgium, highlighting the fascinating history behind various types of waffles and their cultural significance. Jude Rogers, a Welsh journalist, shares insights on the Mary Lloyd—a unique midwinter tradition involving a horse skull and festive banter for treats, woven into the fabric of Welsh charity and community hope. Together, they explore holiday feasting customs, spiced biscuits, and various nostalgic baking masterpieces.
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Horse-Skull Pageant As Communal Hope
- The Mary Lloyd is a Welsh midwinter tradition where a horse's skull on a pole parades to entertain and request food or luck.
- Jude Rogers explains it mixes wassailing, mischievous rhymes, and community exchange to bring hope during bleak winters.
Winter Rituals Bridge Social Gaps
- These winter customs let poorer households access food while offering entertainment and luck to hosts.
- Jude Rogers frames wassailing and calennig rituals as cross-class moments that sustain social bonds and hope.
Use Butter And Shortening For Moist Kugelhof
- For a family yeasted holiday 'cake' like kugelhopf, use butter or a butter–Crisco mix to keep richness and moistness.
- Cheryl Day and Christopher Kimball advise testing half-butter/half-Crisco for better flavor and shelf life.