Barmbrack

A lightly spiced yeasted fruit bread studded with raisins and sultanas soaked in tea, traditionally baked for Halloween.

Barmbrack, from the Irish bairín breac meaning "speckled loaf," has been baked in Ireland for centuries and is most strongly tied to Halloween, when objects were traditionally baked into the loaf as fortune-telling charms — a ring for marriage within the year, a coin for wealth, a pea for not marrying, and a rag for poverty. It reflects an older Celtic tradition around Samhain, the harvest festival that predates Halloween, when foods incorporating the year's dried fruit were baked to mark the turning of the season.

The dried fruit is traditionally soaked overnight in strong tea, which keeps it plump and adds a deep flavor to the crumb. In its most traditional form, small charms are wrapped in baking paper and hidden in the dough before baking.