In the quiet lead up to Christmas, when the nights grow longer and the sky seems to listen to our secrets, all of Europe becomes steeped in mystery.
In Hungary, the carrier of this early winter magic has a luminous name: Saint Lucy, celebrated on December 13.
Long ago, this day marked the winter solstice. It was the longest night of the year, when the stories whispered by the fireside could, they said, alter one’s destiny.
Between pagan beliefs and Christianised traditions, certain customs survived, shining bright like stars in the dark.
And one of them is so gentle, that it belongs neither to shadow nor church: it promises to reveal the name of one’s beloved.
In the villages of Hungary, when the first snowflakes began landing on the rooftops, young maidens of marrying age practiced a secret ritual:
They took a small, treasure-like wooden box and slipped inside twelve pieces of paper.
On eleven of them, they wrote the names of young men from the village.
The twelfth remained blank, meaning the marriage would be delayed.
Each evening, by candlelight piercing the darkness of winter, they drew one paper. Without reading it, without cheating, they burned it, letting the flames decide their future.
And, on Christmas Eve, only a single paper remained at the bottom of the box…
That was the name of the future husband.
But if the one left untouched was the blank paper, it meant love would wait another year. Destiny cannot be rushed.
Another, more delicious version was born in kitchens where the scent of cinnamon swirled in the air, making use of a traditional Hungarian dessert: szilvás gombóc, delicate plum dumplings.
The twelve papers were hidden in the middle of the dumplings, right between the prune and the dough.
The first dumpling to rise to the surface of the boiling water revealed the chosen one’s name.
What better omen than a promise that begins in the warmth of a home?
For those who wish to blend magic and sweetness, here is the recipe…
Fortune-Telling Plum Dumplings
(Prep time: 2 hours)
Ingredients
For the dough:
– 500 g potatoes (not new potatoes)
– salt
– 150–170 g white flour
– 20 g butter
– 1 egg
For the filling:
– 12 plums
– small sugar cubes
– ground cinnamon
Pour shaping and rolling:
– white flour
For serving:
– 40 g butter
– 50 g breadcrumbs
– 1 tbsp granulated sugar mixed with cinnamon
Preparation
Boil the unpeeled potatoes in lightly salted water.
Peel them while still warm and mash immediately.
When they have cooled, add the remaining dough ingredients and form two balls.
Wash and pit the plums, placing a sugar cube and a pinch of cinnamon in each.
Lightly flour a board and roll out the dough to 1 cm thickness.
Cut into 5 × 5 cm squares.
Place a plum in the centre, tuck the folded paper with the suitor’s name inside, then close it carefully and form a ball.
Drop the dumplings into a large pot of salted boiling water.
Stir once to keep them from sticking.
Then wait… and watch for the very first dumpling to rise to the surface. This is the one that contains the secret. Set it aside so you won’t confuse it with the others.
When all have risen, let them cook for another 3 minutes, then drain.
Roll the dumplings in breadcrumbs browned in butter, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Would you dare let winter’s magic whisper your beloved’s name?
If you try this fortune-telling method, tell us all about how it went in the comment section.
Texte & model : Lucie TÂ
Photographer : Maxime Bobis