Each year, as Good Friday approaches, millions of people prepare to observe this solemn Christian holiday with traditional foods that have been enjoyed for centuries. While many modern diners might not realize it, that Friday fish fry or those spiced, cross-topped buns in the bakery aisle carry deep religious significance dating back hundreds of years.
These Good Friday food traditions – particularly fish and chips and hot cross buns – aren’t just delicious treats but edible connections to religious history, representing faith practices that have endured through generations. Even as societies have become increasingly secular, these culinary customs continue to link our modern tables with ancient religious observances.
The practice of consuming specific foods on Good Friday has survived through countless cultural shifts, wars, and societal changes. Today, we’ll explore exactly why these particular foods became associated with one of Christianity’s most solemn observances and how their religious symbolism has helped them endure as beloved traditions
Good Friday Food Traditions: The Religious Origins
Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, has long been associated with specific food traditions that carry deep religious significance. Two of the most beloved traditional Good Friday foods are fish and chips and hot cross buns. But why do we eat these particular foods on this solemn Christian holiday?
Fish on Good Friday: The Religious Connection
The tradition of eating fish on Good Friday stems directly from Catholic religious practices:
- Abstinence from Meat: The Church prohibited eating warm-blooded animal meat on Fridays, especially Good Friday, as a form of penance commemorating Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
- Fish as Permissible Food: Being cold-blooded, fish was allowed during fasting days, making it the traditional Good Friday protein.
- Religious Symbolism: The fish (ICHTHYS) was an early Christian symbol, representing “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”
When fish and chips emerged as a combined dish in 19th century Britain, it naturally became associated with Friday consumption due to these religious observances. Even as society secularized, “Friday fish” remained a cultural tradition, particularly on Good Friday.
Hot Cross Buns: Good Friday’s Sacred Bread
Hot cross buns carry even more explicit religious symbolism, tied explicitly to Good Friday:
- The Cross Marking: Directly symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ, the central event commemorated on Good Friday.
- Spices in the Dough: Represent the spices used to embalm Christ after the crucifixion.
- Good Friday Baking: Tradition holds that buns baked on Good Friday possess special powers, including protection and healing.
The Tudor government once attempted to ban hot cross buns except on Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas, demonstrating their strong religious association. This restriction only heightened their importance as an exceptional food for Good Friday.
Modern Observance of Good Friday Food Traditions
Today, many families continue these culinary traditions on Good Friday:
- Fish and chips provide a satisfying meal while still honouring the abstinence from meat
- Hot cross buns offer a symbolic commemoration of the crucifixion through their distinctive cross marking
- Together, these foods create a balanced Good Friday meal that respects religious tradition
Whether observed for religious reasons or simply as cultural tradition, these Good Friday foods connect modern tables to centuries of religious practice, serving as edible reminders of the holiday’s sacred significance.
While supermarkets now sell hot cross buns year-round and fish and chips are a British staple any day of the week, their special connection to Good Friday endures, preserving religious customs through the universal language of food.
My Trusted Recipes
Easy Fish & Chips
Ingredients
Chips
- 1 pound baking potatos
Fish
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour put in freezer at least 15 minutes before using
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 2 1/4 cups beer ice cold
- 1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
- 4 oz white fish fillets halibut, paddock, cod,
Deep Frying
- 1-2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Make the Chips
- Scrub, peel and cut the potatoes into strips or wedges. Place the potatoes in a large bowl, and cover the potatoes with cold water and let soak for an hour. Drain and thoroughly dry.
- BLANCH: Prepare a wire rack over a baking sheet and have a metal slotted spoon handy. In a large deep saucepan, pour in four inches of vegetable oil and heat the oil to 330F. The first step is to blanch the chips, deep frying in batches for 5 minutes to make them more tender. Use a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the rack to drain.
- DEEP FRY: Preheat oven to 350F Increase the heat of the oil to 375F. Deep fry the chips in batches until crisp and golden. Return to the rack to drain. Keep warm in your oven while you fry the fish.
Fry the Fish
- In a large bowl combine the chilled flour with the baking powder. Slowly whisk in enough cold beer to make the consistency of smooth pancake batter. We prefer a thinner coating so our batter is slightly funnier. The batter should be in a shallow bowl.
- Pat your fish pieces dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Your oil should still be heated to 375F.
- Place the extra flour in a shallow bowl Bread the fish first in the flour and then dip in the batter, coating well. Gently place the fish in the oil.
- Fry 1 or 2 max at a time. Wait 4 minutes, turn once and your fish should be golden brown. Cook for another 4 minutes, then drain on a rack, then transfer to the pan in the oven with the chips.
- Serve with lemon wedges, malt vinegar, tartar sauce, and coleslaw. Brits love to eat with mushy peas.
Notes
Easy Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise try homemade mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp. dill pickle finely chopped
- 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. capers chopped
- 1 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped sub: 1 tsp. dry dill
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix.
- Season with salt and pepper, and add additional lemon juice to taste.
- Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving and store in your fridge for a week.
Amazing Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp. yeast
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 3/4 cup milk scalded
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup currants or chopped candied peel
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 4 1/2 - 5 cups unbleached all purpose flour
Glaze
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp. caster sugar
Crosses
- 1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 5 tbsp. water
Instructions
Proof
- In a one-cup measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup warm water. Add 1 tsp. sugar, but do not stir. Slowly sprinkle the yeast into the water, ensuring that each particle gets wet. Do not stir. Wait 10 minutes until the yeast is thick and foamy.
Mix
- Add the following into a large bread bowl, stirring after each addition: milk which has now cooled, eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Next add the yeast mixture, raisins, currants or peel, 1 cup of flour and the cooled butter and mix. Quickly add in the remaining flour one cup at a time to make a fairly stiff dough. Coat with flour before turning on a floured work surface to knead.
Knead
- Turn the dough out and knead until smooth and elastic which should take about 10 minutes.
First Rising
- Place the dough into a greased bowl. You can use your bread bowl after it has been cleaned. Turn over the dough so that the top is now greased as well. Cover with a clean tea towel and put in a warm place until doubled which will take about 1 1/2 hours.
Shape
- Punch the risen dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Shape into a 12-inch long log. Cut the dough into equal pieces to make 12 or 16 buns, depending on the size you like.
2nd Rising
- Work each piece of dough into smooth, seamless balls. Place buns on two greased baking sheets leaving an each between each bun. Press each to flatten slightly. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest for 30–45 minutes in a draft-free place, or in your oven.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 375F.
- Mix the egg with caster sugar to make an egg glaze. Brush buns with the egg glaze. Mix the flour and water to make the paste for the crosses. Pipe the crosses onto the buns.
- You can skip this step and score a cross in the bun and then finish after baking with thick icing to pipe a cross onto each bun after the buns have been baked and cooled.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool immediately on a wire rack.
