This is a great mix of a cookbook, craft book and a Christmas history lesson across cultures. It’s fun and interesting and I’m excited to own my own copy and give it as a gift! It’s pretty unique as far as cookbooks go, at least any I’ve read and reviewed recently. Definitely worth your time and I’m excited to try out some of the recipes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Publications for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A read that takes one literally all over the world as the author delves into the history of recipes that have become a staple at Christmas. The origins aren't always related to Christmas and ingredients have origins ranging from China to the Caribbean and South America. The historical stories sometimes have the oddest origins from witches and apothecaries and medicinal uses. Recipes and crafts are included. I found it a fascinating read.
I received an ARC copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I love to bake and love to learn about history, so this book was a natural for me. We’ll cited, fun and fascinating, with a surprisingly dark streak and lots of recipes I’m looking forward to trying. Highly recommended!

THE SECRET HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS BAKING by Linda Raedisch is a wonderful book about the origins and history of traditional Christmas fare. I found the stories fascinating as she takes us to ancient Egypt,India, North America, and many European countries. I learned (but I'm not surprised) that many of our beloved Christmas treats weren't actual Christian dishes. I really liked learning about spices, sugar, and their origins. I was surprised, and inspired to read they were commonly used in savory foods. There are delicious sounding recipes after each story. I look forward to buying a hard copy of this book for my Daughter, and one myself as well. Linda Raedisch doesn't know it, but my world just got a lot yummier.

History and baking? Yes please! We get to learn about different holiday food traditions from around the world.

I loved all the different recipes and stories about similar foods. This was my favorite part. I can't wait to try out some of these recipes. Some of them look really... interesting though 🤔

Also, did you know, that back in the day, sugar was considered an every day spice? The more you know!

An excellent book that brings forth the spirit of Christmas and makes the history buff in me giddy with happiness!
The information and wisdom are certainly wonderful. I have new info to share with my brethren and new recipes to try. How wonderful is that?

One piece of information is about Sugar (Saccharum officinarum) and as we all know it, traders from all over the world brought this much-sought spice to the East Asians and later on used it as the sweetener we know today. Truly, evolution is magical.

I will certainly try the deliciously captivating recipes here once ber-months set in because we have an early Christmas and would very much love to try these recipes.

The Secret History of Christmas Baking by Linda Raedish is an historical Christmas baking book that explores the origins of beloved Christmas recipes. This book includes a combination of personal anecdotes, historical anecdotes (sometimes surprisingly dark!) and delicious recipes.

I saw this on NetGalley and immediately had to request it based on the title. I love Christmas baking and feel warm and cozy thinking about my family’s holiday baking traditions and memories. This would make a great gift for anyone who enjoys baking and history.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for granting me an ARC. All opinions are my own. This book is expected to come out in September 2023.

Linda Raedisch's "The Secret History of Christmas Baking: Recipes & Stories from Tomb Offerings to Gingerbread Boys"

Linda Raedisch's "The Secret History of Christmas Baking" illuminates the strange and often sinister roots of treasured holiday delicacies. The tales of ancient civilizations, mediaeval spice trade, and the West's love of sugar and spices make this book a must-read for serious bakers and history buffs.

Raedisch's intriguing tale explores the Middle Ages spice trade, where dangerous expeditions to find exotic flavours cost many lives. The book highlights the therapeutic uses of allspice, ginger, cacao, and saffron. This historical perspective revitalises holiday bakes.

The book debunks culinary misconceptions and illuminates Christmas baking, including the ancient Egyptians' gingerbread and marzipan's pharmacological roots. Over forty modern baking recipes and illustrated directions for decorating cakes and cookie plates with paper stars, angels, and witches transport readers to an Old World Christmas market.

Tom A. Jerman, author of "Santa Claus Worldwide: A History of St. Nicholas and Other Holiday Gift-Givers," and Jack Santino, a noted folklorist, laud Raedisch's rigorous research and captivating storytelling.

"The Secret History of Christmas Baking" is a great holiday gift for anyone curious about their favourite holiday goodies. It helps readers understand Christmas customs and flavours throughout the world. Readers may relive Christmases past by trying historical cuisines from Europe and Asia.

Linda Raedisch's latest book is a well-researched and beautifully written history of Christmas baking, combining culture, custom, and delicious recipes. "The Secret History of Christmas Baking" will delight and inspire bakers and history buffs alike.

I’m not much of a baker or a cook at all but I cannot wait to try some of the recipes in this book. I will try some of these with the help of my boys! Thank you so much for the advanced copy!

Wow, the breadth and depth this book covers is astounding. Not only recipes but the history behind the ingredients and so much background , I couldn't stop reading . I will definitely need a copy of this on my kitchen bookshelf and what a great Christmas gift for foodie friends.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I loved learning about the history of Christmas baking and the history of the spices that went into the baking. It was interesting to learn how recipes changed over time and once ingredients became easier to get and more affordable.

Loved that cultural recipes and crafts were also included within the text.

As with most history, even happy times (like my favorite holiday - Christmas) come with some dark history and pasts.

I would have loved to see more illustrations in general within the book, but overall a very solid read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for the e-arc!

The title of this book is a very accurate description of what lies within. This is, first and foremost, a history book. But, for foodies, this is the most exciting type of history book one could hope for—history told through food and recipes.

Very well researched with lots of surprising information. And the recipes are a perfect compliment to the history.

This would make a great Christmas gift for a foodie!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Being a bit of a "foodie," including baking, this book really sounded like something I'd enjoy. And I did. There is a brief history of sugar and the spice trades, including their dark sides. Folklore is included as well when it pertains to some of that history or the recipes this book contains. I can't wait to get into trying some of the recipes within. For the downside, that contributed to this book NOT getting five stars from me, the ebook ARC did not contain any of the figures or drawings that would need to be referenced for some of the crafts and recipes. There were also some grammar errors, including the first letter of the first words of each chapter being missing and titles to books referenced are not italicized. While I assume these errors will be corrected in the final printed version, they were distracting to me. Overall, a very nice book though.

The Secret History of Christmas Baking is a fascinating glimpse into the history of the spices and traditions and bloodshed surrounding the delicious holiday treats. The author uses her own German-American heritage as a launching-off point, but this book travels throughout history - from ancient Egypt and the Middle East throughout medieval Europe and into 20'th Century America, across continents and time, with charming anecdotes woven into the tales of tradition and terror.

And terror indeed - the Secret History of Christmas Baking isn't all marzipan and festive spices. This book is open about the dark history behind these: racism, slavery, colonisation, religious persecution, war, death and bloodshed are all rightfully acknowledged.

In the Secret History of Christmas Baking we are treated to a global journey that covers traditions, etymology, pharmaceuticals, socio-economic divides and of course, food. The histories - of spices, of traditions, of themes - are interspersed with olde crafts and recipes based on these very topics. I can't wait to try these recipes for myself .

~Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

<i>The Secret History of Christmas Baking</i> is a fun, breezy overview of Christmas treats that doesn't ignore dark aspects of the past, either. Really, this is an ideal book for people like me to geek out over food history.

Raedisch references her own German-American background often, but her exploration is by no means confined to Germany. The history of Christmas baking means the entire world is involved, as many "holiday spices" come from tropical places. The tale of how those ingredients traversed the world--and then later became attached to Christmas--is a convoluted one. Sometimes Raedisch proposes theories, but they don't seem far-fetched. She acknowledges the role of slavery in things like the sugar trade and the develop of vanilla harvesting. The balance of grim reality and levity feels right. There are some wild historical tangents (witches are a regular theme) but they are all pretty fun and do carry some connection to Christmas baking.

There are recipes throughout, too, mostly from Europe. In addition, there are projects and even schematics for doing some papercrafts to accompany a Christmas meal.

"Explore the Surprising and Sometimes Dark Origins of Beloved Holiday Bakes.

Spice up your season by rolling, molding, and kneading your way through some of the world's most iconic Christmas recipes. Interspersed with tales of sailors, saints, tomb raiders, and artisans, The Secret History of Christmas Baking proves that even the humblest holiday treat has a global backstory.

Did you know that the ancient Egyptians had their own version of gingerbread or that marzipan was once considered a pharmaceutical? Linda Raedisch dispels some long-standing culinary myths and delves into the darker chapters of the West's centuries-long romance with sugar and spices. In addition to more than forty recipes for modern bakers, you'll find illustrated instructions for dressing up your cakes and cookie plates with paper stars, angels, and witches. From Linzer tartlets to Christstollen, you can turn your kitchen into an Old World Christmas market stall."

I mean, I'm here for everything about this book, but Linzer tartlets!?! Oh yeah.

This was such a great look into the history of these classic holiday baking dishes as well as the traditions surrounding them - including but not limited to their origins, social standards, spice/recipe variations, and adjacent crafts that go along with them. As usual, and what I loved the most was the darker look into the historical aspects that dived into the witches and demons. I, particularly, loved the included bits about Egyptians. So much knowledge I never knew before and can’t wait to pass down to future generations in my own family!

Food history is a particular favorite of mine, and The Secret History of Christmas Baking was as fascinating as I had hoped for.

This is packed full of authentic history, recipes (including the origins and history of), crafts, with a nice helping of humor.

I discovered so much that I had previously been unaware of in this title! I had a great time reading TSHoCB and learned a lot.

If you’re intrigued with holiday baking, food history, or are just looking for a unique holiday cookbook, look no further.

Recommended.



Thank you to Llewellyn Publications and NetGalley for the DRC!

This is such a fun book. I love the history of all the recipes and the regions they came from. It was sometimes silly, sometimes a little creepy, but fun the whole time. You can tell the author put a lot of time and effort in to the research and has referenced all the sources well. I’ll admit, I’m not much of a cook or baker, so I’m not sure I’ll actually try making any of the recipes, but I liked reading through them anyway. I enjoyed this book so much that I borrowed her other one, Old Magic, which she talks about in this one. Can’t wait to read it.

My only teeny criticism, and it may not be the authors fault at all, is that there are some display errors on the Kindle version. The first letter of each word in a new chapter is missing, and the formatting is a bit off sometimes. This is definitely a book you need to buy a physical copy of so you can flip through the recipes easier and see pictures.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book. This book is a mix of stories, history, recipes, and crafts, all of which were extremely well thought out and executed. I would highly recommend this book, especially for any historical/Christmas lovers.