A hot crossed what?

Story by Joy Gregory

Elisabeth and Gunther Stranzinger had never heard of hot cross buns when they immigrated to Canada from Switzerland.  Not long after opening Gunther’s Fine Baking Ltd. in Calgary, the couple discovered that many of their customers needed at least a dozen of these nutmeg-flavoured, raison-studded sweet buns to celebrate Easter.

Where did these tasty treats originate?  History indicates that the buns are centuries old.  They were decorated with crosses to symbolize the Christian crucifix and eaten on Good Friday.  Others think that the buns predate Christianity and were eaten at Spring Equinox festivals with the arms of the cross signifying the four seasons.