Hot Cross Buns in Bosnia

My Easter Tradition I brought with me

Happy Easter to those that celebrate!

There are some small things in life that can quietly connect you back to where you came from, even when you have lived somewhere else for many years.

Like me. One of those things is hot cross buns.

Tamara made a batch last night, and the smell coming out of the kitchen instantly took me back to England.

Traditionally, hot cross buns are eaten on Good Friday in England. That was always the rule. You didn’t question it. Hot cross buns meant Good Friday.

But over the years, living here in Bosnia, traditions for me have blended a little, shifted a little, and now in our house they tend to appear on Easter Sunday instead.

I’m not entirely sure if that’s breaking some ancient rule somewhere… but I’m fairly certain it isn’t.

Hot cross buns go back hundreds of years in England. They are spiced sweet buns made with dried fruit, marked with a cross on the top, and the cross traditionally represents the crucifixion.

In the past, people believed the buns had protective powers, like sailors would take them on voyages to prevent shipwreck, and people would hang them in their kitchens to protect their homes from fire.

When you live abroad for a long time, food becomes memory. Certain smells, certain tastes, certain recipes, they are like little time machines.

One bite and you are somewhere else, a different version of yourself.

So today, eating hot cross buns made by my Bosnian wife, I’m thinking about England, Easter, radio ships (if you know, you know) and the strange path life has taken me.

And, it’s so true. You can take the Englishman out of England but you’ll never take England out of the Englishman.

Anyway, the buns were excellent. Absolutely excellent.