Celebrating with a Cake for a Birthday

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Businesspeople celebrating their colleagues birthday in office

The birthday cake is the showpiece of every celebration. Whether you’re a kid or an adult, nothing beats digging into a huge slice of birthday cake. Where, though, did this delectable custom that has become so commonplace among us originate? How did it develop into the dish that everyone always makes on a holiday? The development of the birthday cake is a fascinating window into the history of food and culture in the Western world.

Since the days of ancient Rome, when cakes were fashioned from fruit and nuts, they have been used for festive occasions. The first cakes were really simple, but they kept well for months. At first, the only noticeable difference between a cake and a loaf of bread was that the former was sweet. More complex and delectable cakes were constructed as the art of baking developed and became a profession. When exactly cake candles were first utilized is a mystery. It has been theorized that the ancient Greeks would place candles atop cakes to make them resemble the moon.

It was in medieval Germany when the custom of making sweet cakes to celebrate a child’s birthday, known as kinder fest, really took off. Coins and thimbles began showing up in English cake recipes around the same time. It was believed that the cake eater would be struck with good or bad fortune depending on the object they found in their slice. In ancient pagan rituals, birthday wishes were made by blowing out candles on a cake, with the belief that the smoke would carry the desires to the gods. It is now customary to make a wish and blow out birthday candles at the same time, with the belief that doing so will make the wish come true.

The origin of cakes is a fascinating topic of study. The birthday cake has been a source of joy for many generations, from its early beginnings in ancient Greece and Rome through its medieval European zenith and modern ensconcement in tradition. So the next time you dig into a sweet birthday treat, think back on the tradition’s origins and the reasons it endures to this day. Keep in mind that you only need one breath to extinguish the candles.