Fudge, eggnog, beer, tamales: convent-made food and drinks help monks and nuns spread joy, and pay the bills, over Christmas
- All through the world’s Catholic convents, monks and nuns make food and drink to sell, often using home-made ingredients and recipes passed down generations
- For many monastic communities, producing biscuits, fruitcakes, even beer for sale is the only means to keep the lights on and to preserve their buildings
It is the fortnight before Christmas and all through the world’s Catholic convents, nuns and monks are extra busy preparing the traditional delicacies they sell to a loyal fan base even in rapidly secularising countries.
For many monastic communities, especially those devoted to contemplative life and with vows of poverty, producing biscuits, fruitcakes, even beer for sale is the only means to keep the lights on.
But it is also an enticing way to strengthen their ties with lay people who flock to their doors – and in some cases their websites – in the holiday season.
“Our kitchen is a witness to God’s love to those outside,” said Sister Abigail, one of the 10 cloistered nuns of the Perpetual Adorers of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico.
