Fairy bread facts for kids
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| Type | White bread |
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| Place of origin | Australia |
| Main ingredients | White bread, butter, Hundreds and Thousands |
Fairy bread is a super fun and colorful snack, especially popular at kids' parties in Australia and New Zealand! It's made with simple ingredients: slices of white bread, spread with butter or margarine, and then covered with lots of tiny, colorful sprinkles called "Hundreds and Thousands." People often cut it into triangles, making it easy to pick up and enjoy.
Contents
What is Fairy Bread?
Fairy bread is a simple, sweet treat that brings a lot of joy to parties. It's a classic snack in Australia and New Zealand, often seen at birthdays and other celebrations for children. The bright sprinkles make it look very festive and appealing. It's usually served as a finger food, meaning you can just pick it up with your hands.
How to Make It
Making fairy bread is very easy, which is one reason it's so popular.
- First, you take a slice of white bread.
- Next, you spread a thin layer of butter or margarine all over one side of the bread.
- Then, you generously sprinkle "Hundreds and Thousands" (the colorful sprinkles) onto the buttered bread. Make sure they stick well!
- Finally, you cut the bread into triangles. This shape is traditional and makes it easy for kids to hold.
The Sweet History of Fairy Bread
Even though people had been putting sprinkles on bread and butter for a while, the first time this specific dish was called "Fairy Bread" was in April 1929. This happened in a newspaper called the Hobart Mercury, which is from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Where the Name Came From
The newspaper article talked about a party for children at a place called the Consumptive Sanitorium. It said, "The children will start their party with fairy bread and butter and 100’s and 1,000’s, and cakes, tarts, and home-made cakes…" This shows that the name was already in use back then.
The exact reason why it's called "Fairy Bread" isn't fully known. Some people think the name might come from a poem called 'Fairy Bread'. This poem was written by Robert Louis Stevenson in his book A Child's Garden of Verses, published in 1885. Before it was used for this sprinkle-covered bread, the term "fairy bread" was sometimes used for other types of food.
A Modern Prank
In 2021, a funny group known for making jokes, called The Chaser, created a fake online petition. They pretended to ask for the name "fairy bread" to be changed. This was a prank, and it got a lot of attention in the news! It showed how much people love and care about this simple, colorful snack.
