During the Middle Ages, plain buns made without dairy products were traditionally eaten hot or toasted from Shrove Tuesday until midday on Good Friday. Eating hot cross buns would have marked an end of this Lenten fast, as the buns contained both sugar and dairy products and so were considered a treat. According to legend, the first hot cross buns were made at St. Albans Monastery in Hertfordshire, England. As the story goes, Br. Thomas Rocliffe, a monk and the monastery’s cook, created the buns, then called Albans buns. Beginning in 1361, he distributed them to the poor on Good Friday along with their regular soup. Word of the buns spread and they became popular throughout England. However, by the time of Elizabeth I, the sale of hot cross buns was banned except for at burials, on Good Friday and at Christmas. Because of this, they were primarily made in the home kitchen, but anyone caught possessing hot cross buns on a non-approved day would be forced to give them all to the poor.
Many traditions have arisen around hot cross buns. It is said that buns baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or grow moldy during the following year. This is believed to be a reference to how Jesus’ body did not decay while it was in the tomb. The buns were also believed to be medicinal. If a piece of bun was given to someone who was ill, it would help them recover. Hot cross buns were also said to protect against shipwrecks. Finally, if hung in the kitchen, the buns were said to protect against fires and ensure that all breads baked that year would turn out perfectly. Housewives would replace the buns every Good Friday. Whether these superstitions are true or not, hot cross buns have earned their place in our culture as a sign of Good Friday and the end of Lent.