Coventry Godcakes are baked puff pastry pasties containing sweet mincemeat, which originate from the city of Coventry, England. They are in the form of a right-angled isosceles triangle,[1] marked with three slits on the top and sprinkled with sugar. The triangular shape and the markings are said to be reference to the Holy Trinity.[2]

Godcakes are a New Year tradition in the city, and are given by godparents to their godchildren along with a blessing for the year ahead.[3]

In 2010, Leigh Waite, a local Blue Badge Tourist Guide with an interest in baking, was given a recipe by a local historian David McGrory. Leigh tried out the recipe, producing them to sell during the annual Heritage Open Weekend event in the city.[4]

In August 2012, the Coventry Godcake was officially re-launched at a celebration event at Coventry Transport Museum attended by the Lord Mayor and guests, including the Coventry Mummers.[5]

The triangles created in country lanes where three lanes meet derive their names from the Coventry Godcake. A triangle is created by the passing of farm vehicles, originally horse-drawn carts, as they turn. The so-called "god cakes", which are not particular to any one city or county, take their name from these triangular pastries.

See also

References

  1. ^ White, Florence, ed. (1968). Good Things in England. London: The Cookery Book Club. p. 356.
  2. ^ Rodger, James (May 1, 2015). "What is a Coventry God Cake? How do you make one?". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  3. ^ Taggart, Caroline (March 28, 2014). "Let them eat British cake! Blighty's traditional teatime treats rediscovered". Express. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  4. ^ Griffin, Mary (April 11, 2014). "God-ly treats that deserve a big revival". Birmingham Post. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  5. ^ "Coventry God Cakes | Visit Coventry and Warwickshire". www.visitcoventryandwarwickshire.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
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