Spooktacular Halloween Food and Traditions
With Halloween just around the corner, we wanted to share some spooktacular Halloween food traditions and customs associated with the frightful holiday.
Bobbing for Apples -
The tradition of bobbing for apples has been associated with Halloween for a long time. The Celts believed in the goddess Pomona and the apple was representative of her entity because when sliced open, the seeds formed a pentagram shape. Thus, the apple became an integral tool to determine marriages that occurred in the fall. Young, unmarried couples would bob for apples and the first to bite into one and retrieve it from the floating water or hanging from a string would be deemed the next to marry. Today, bobbing for apples carries a much different meaning and is often played at Halloween parties and other social gatherings. If you’re not up for a game of bobbing for apples, simply stop by one of our two Denver restaurants and experience our delicious Apple Pancake made with oven baked granny smith apples and cinnamon glaze. All the deliciousness without the work!
Pumpkin Carving—
We use pumpkin in our popular Sara’s Pumpkin Pancakes but the yummy, round, orange squash wasn’t always used in cooking and certainly not for carving and Halloween decor. Historically, the Jack-O’-Lantern has an interesting past…and it all starts with a man named Jack. Legend has it, Jack tricked the Devil to win money to live a rich and pleasurable life. However, the Devil sought revenge on Jack for tricking him and after Jack’s death, the Devil sentenced him to walk the Earth forever armed with only a lantern made from a carved turnip. The practice of carving root vegetables eventually found its way to carving pumpkins and the snaggle-toothed Halloween Jack-O’-Lantern was born.
Trick-Or-Treat—
A Halloween highlight for the young and young-at-heart is trick-or-treating - what could be better than dressing up and going door-to-door to receive sweet treats?! However, the practice of trick-or-treating didn’t always have a happy ending. The custom is actually two-fold. The act of dressing up originates from the Celtic tradition that celebrates the end of the year, where it was thought the dead and living would overlap on Halloween. Dressing up like evil entities was thought to defend individuals against the ghosts that would roam the earth on Halloween night. According to the Smithsonian magazine, the act of requesting food door-to-door is recorded as far back as the November 4, 1927 issue of the Backie, Alberta Canda Herald. The practice stemmed from children who were poor who would go door-to-door begging for food, money, or other items and if the residents refused to give them anything, they would find themselves victim to a prank from the begging children—hence the phrase “trick-or-treat.” If you’re looking for a treat without the tricks, we would love to invite you in for a great Denver breakfast. Treat yourself to a delicious Dutch Baby Pancake or Bacon Belgian Waffle in honor of National Pork Month!
What Halloween trick-or-treats does your family participate in? Let us know your family fun Halloween activities and food offerings on Twitter @OPHDenver. Happy Halloween!
Simple sweet trick-or-treats for Halloween
Creating treats for your next family fun Halloween event doesn’t need to be scary. There are several sweet and simple trick-or-treat options that take minimal time to prep and make, and are sure to impress and delight.
White Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Ghost Faces
These healthy sweet treats are very simple.
- Start off with a 12 oz. package of white chocolate chips in a bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of shortening.
- Microwave at 50 percent power for 1 minute and stir until chips are melted and the texture is smooth.
- Hold the strawberries by the tip and dip the entire berry into the melted chocolate. Place berries on a tray covered with wax paper so the berries don’t stick to the tray.
- Refrigerate until the coating is firm, about 30 minutes.
- Melt 1 cup of dark chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of shortening in the microwave, spoon into a piping bag (plastic bags work well too).
- Cut a small tip at the end of the piping bag and pipe on ghastly ghost faces on the strawberries.
- Refrigerate until the face coating is firm.
Wicked Easy Trail Mix
You can purchase pre-made trail mix from the store or purchase special nuts and dried fruits for your own special mix. Simply select your favorite cereal, peanuts, yogurt-covered raisins, and banana chips and combine for a tasty treat. You can also add in candy corn for extra Halloween attitude. Place trail mix in Halloween-themed cupcake liners for easy-to-serve portion sizes.
Spooky Sandwiches
Conjure some welcome spirits with a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Make a standard PB&J using your favorite nut butter and jelly or jam. Then, use a Halloween cookie cutter to cut out ghosts, pumpkins, and witches hat-shaped sandwiches. Add on fun accessories like raisins for eyes and feed lots of hungry ghouls.
Pretzel Fingers
The perfect eerie party buffet option, pretzel fingers.
- Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave (see instructions above) until the texture is smooth.
- Using large pretzel sticks, dip the sticks ¾ of the way into the melted chocolate and set on a tray lined with wax paper.
- While the chocolate is still wet, add one slivered almond slice at the end of the chocolate covered stick to represent the “fingernail.” You can display these frightening phalanges in a mason jar covered with an old shirt cuff to really give your guests a creep effect.
Of course, if these spooky snacks give you the creepers, why not take yourself out for a Halloween breakfast in Denver? At the Original Pancake House, we are happy to serve all walks of life, from little ghostly goblins to Frankenstein and his family.