At this point, I have already written to you about a Christmas drink and the ice cream culture, let's continue on that line. Today, the day when Askasleikir arrived, it's time for us to talk about food.
Laufabrauð is a type of bread typical of these festivities, it has a buñuelo flavour with the difference that it is not so sweet (at least not the ones I have tried). This dessert is traditionally made on the first Advent (the first Sunday in December), and it is assumed that it can last for the rest of the festivities. But if you live with A., it will probably last a week.
The history of laufabrauð dates from the 18th century, it is thought that it originated in the WestFjords, in the north of the island, according to the oldest bibliographic mentions. At that time, the shortages were such that products such as flour (which were imported, of course) represented a luxury for the population. For this reason, the ingenuity of the housewives led them to stretch their resources and make from what is scarce, a feast. It is, let's say, the simile of putting more water in the beans (trust me, it works).
The bread is circular, with triangular decorations, from which they are also called "snowflake bread". They say that if you can read the Bible or the newspaper through the bread, it means that the laufabrauð is perfect, because it is as thin as a leaf, and hence the name, literally “leaf bread”. Traditionally, it is a family activity, in which everyone joins to make them and, if you live with A., devour them as soon as they are ready.
One controversy in particular (at this point, I think I've run into so many in the food department) is that there are those who enjoy their laufabrauð with butter.
