The Archaeology of Christmas Cakes
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5199495 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Helen M Leach, Helen Leach (0000-0002-0502-9844, University of Otago), Raelene Inglis (0000-0001-6533-6646, University of Otago) |
| Year | 2003 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 2-3 |
| Pages | 141-166 |
| Publication date | 2003-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Food and Foodways (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0740-9710 • E-ISSN: 1542-3484 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/07409710390242336 |
| OpenAlex | W2004256474 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 4 |
Like ceramic pots excavated by archaeologists, dishes, for which recipes provide detailed instructions, also can be treated as a form of material culture and analyzed to reveal the socioeconomic conditions prevailing when they were made. The Christmas Cake that originated in Victorian England from a long-standing tradition of rich fruit cakes became an important and persistent category in twentieth century New Zealand. As a complex cake with many ingredients, it could be adjusted to suit household composition and incomes, variations in price and availability of components, and changing roles of women. A study of 383 Christmas Cake recipes from 158 community cookbooks published in New Zealand between 1901 and 1980 revealed that for a “traditional” cake, the Christmas Cake was remarkably sensitive to socioeconomic trends. The method of microanalysis developed here should be applicable to many other recipe types with long, sequential histories
Archaeology · Art · Composition (language · Literature · Population · Recipe · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Demography · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · Historical Economic and Social Studies · History
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,39 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2026 (19) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |