Cakes for the Souls: Medieval English Folk Begged for Them Door to Door and Prayed for the Household's Dead in Return

In Macedonia, on Zadušnica - the days for remembering the dead - people bring boiled wheat to the cemetery and hand out food "for the soul". The English of the Middle Ages had their own version of the same idea, just in the shape of a cake. They were called soul cakes and were made for All Saints' Day. People went from door to door asking for them, and in return prayed for the souls of the dead from the household that gave them. Sometimes they sang traditional songs while they were at it.

The custom, known as souling, faded over time, but in some parts of England it survived for centuries. Because of the door-to-door rounds, it's considered one of the historical forerunners of today's Halloween "trick or treat". These days soul cakes are rarely found in English bakeries: they're made at home, in autumn, at cultural events and re-enactments of old customs.

In shape they're somewhere between a thick biscuit and a sweet bun, with a recognisable spiced flavour. There's no single recipe, but most versions have raisins or currants and a cross cut into the top. For 20 to 24 pieces you'll need: 300 grams of flour, 125 grams of cold unsalted butter cut into cubes, 90 grams of white sugar, one egg yolk, 50-60 grams of raisins, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon each of nutmeg and ginger, a pinch of ground cloves, a tablespoon of rolled oats, two to four tablespoons of milk, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar if you like, and a pinch of salt.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees, top and bottom heat, and line a tray with baking paper. In a bowl, mix the flour with the spices and salt, then add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. That's the whole technique: don't overdo it, because overworked dough makes hard biscuits. Then stir in the sugar, oats and raisins with a spoon.

Lightly whisk the yolk with two tablespoons of milk and the vinegar, then pour it over the dry ingredients. If the dough crumbles, add milk a spoonful at a time until it's compact, soft and easy to work, but not sticky. Roll it out on a floured surface to about half a centimetre and cut circles of 6 to 7 centimetres with a cutter or the rim of a glass. Gather the scraps and roll them out again.

Lay them on the tray with a little space between them and use the tip of a knife to lightly score a cross on each one, without cutting all the way through. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness - take them out when the edges turn golden and the tops are still pale. Leave them on the tray for a few minutes, because they're fragile while warm, then move them to a rack to cool. With tea or coffee. As for the prayer, by tradition, that's up to the host.