Next: 31 Dec to 1 Jan 2027
Hogmanay
The Scottish new year, with black bun, a spiced fruit pie, shortbread and a first foot who brings whisky and coal.
Spices for Hogmanay
At Hogmanay the first guest, the first foot, brings gifts for luck. Black bun, a dense fruit cake in a pastry shell, is flavoured with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, black pepper and brandy, and is served with whisky. The pepper in a bun is a reminder of the time when it was a luxury in Scotland and was added for its warm hit. Scotland's long ties to the spice trade are reflected in its baking, from Dundee cake to spiced gingerbread.
The spices
Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Hogmanay" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Allspice: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
- Ginger: Venkatx5, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Black pepper: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source