Well, actually, not so much in Singapore. (Though you can buy them here in M&S :) )
Hot cross buns are a traditional Easter food in the UK. You're supposed to eat them on Good Friday (today), but we now eat them across the festival period. They are spiced buns with a cross shape baked on the top, which signifies the day of Jesus's crucifixion (Good Friday in the Christian calendar).
You buy the buns ready-cooked, then toast them at home, so that you eat them hot, and slightly crispy at the edges. You cut them in half before toasting, and can spread on butter, or butter and jam / marmalade / other sweet toppings afterwards, making a kind of sandwich. (Like many British baked products, they are edible but slightly unpleasant un-toasted!)
The buns are basically a faintly sweet and spiced bread, into which are baked sultanas, raisins, and pieces of candied peel. The cross shape is usually made from a kind of pastry, rather than dough.
Eating hot cross buns also traditionally marks the end of Lent. Which in the past (or for very religious people now) also meant a return to eating sweet and richer foods, after abstinence.
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| Hot Cross Buns in Singapore. Slightly burned because I had to use a toaster on them! * |
* In the UK, every kitchen has an oven, and a large grill - which is what we use for toasting things other than sliced bread. In Singapore, it is rare to find an oven/grill at home. So I had to improvise!
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