10 things you didn’t know about Vikings and cherry bars

In one of our tours around town we came across the last day of the European Fair 2015, where some countries were represented by some of their typical food. There were many Italian and French things, lots of cheese! Those big round whole pieces that are worth a fortune. It wasn’t any cheaper, there. But what most called our attention was a “war” stand, and there I took some pictures with my cell.

There were armors and shields, chain mail, stuffed animals and they all seemed pretty used, old and legit! rs

Chain mail are “clothes” made of small metallic circles and are really heavy! They DO seem capable of protecting somebody!And there was no way I was in Scandinavia, have a blog so named and not to think about… vikings! – the vilified Nordic people who liver around the 1000s. There will be other posts about them, but here you will get to know 10 things that are not what we think about when vikings are subject:

1. Vikings did not wear horned helmets. oh man!

2. Vikings were known to have nice hygiene habits! Excavations of Viking sites have turned up tweezers, razors, combs and ear cleaners! They also showered once a week (like – a lot!) and enjoyed dips in natural hot springs

3. Vikings produced a unique substance from their urine that could start and keep fires like no other people

4. Vikings “buried” their deaths in boats, and believed these would guide them, like when still living, to their final destination

5. Vikings were active in the slave trade 😦

6. Viking women enjoyed some rights such as owning properties, asking for a divorce and getting their dowries back if the marriage hadn’t worked out 🙂

7. Viking men spent most of their time in agriculture! They also raised cattle and other animals for the family support

8. Vikings skied for fun!

9. Viking gentlemen preferred to be blond! The dark haired ones used a soap with a substance that bleached their hair and often their beards too!

10. Vikings never represented a unified people. They were groups scattered through Scandinavia, did not recognize among these groups as brothers and certainly not even called themselves vikings, of course!

I have a favorite viking! Hägar is a Dik Browne character created in 1973. Up to today, daily strips are released and picture a very funny caricature of the Viking Era daily life (you can check every strip on their facebook!)
… he is not diabetic… but I guess he and his best mate Lucky Eddie will not escape this fate!!

And speaking of cherries, none of them would resist these cherry bars that surprisingly amazed even me! I didn’t expect this much of them. Besides super easy and quick to make (even more if you happen to have a pitter), they don’t even ask for a mixer.
…If I were Hagar, I really would not resist stealing some! =D

Ingredients:

– 4 cups (~600g) fresh cherries
– 3 cups flour
– 1 + 1/2 cups sugar (separate)
– 1 tsp baking ppowder
– 1/8 tsp salt
– grated rind of 1 lime
– 200g cold diced butter
– 1 egg
– juice of 1/2 lime
– 4 tsp cornstarch

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0. Pit and cut the cherries in 8. Prepare a 9 x 13 in pan (or one with equivalent area). Preheat the oven to 350 F

1. In a big bowl, mix flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and lime rind

2. Add the butter and egg, and use a fork or pastry cutter to crumble them as in the picture (don’t give up!)

3. Evely put on the prepared pan half or a little more of the crumble. Press it with your fingers to make it denser, but not too dense. Squeeze over it the juice of half the lime. This is our bars’ basis.

4. Mix the cherries, 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch.

5. Evenly toss the cherrie mixture on the basis, and over them toss the rest of the crumble, leaving some spaces to let the cherries show their beautiful color.

6. Bake for aprox 50 min or until golden and set.

7. After completely cold, cut the big bar in smaller rectangles – I made 36 bars.

You can also use other kinds of fruit like strawberries, blueberries or even grapes. But keep in mind that the more water the fruit has, the longer it will take to dry in the oven.

If the bars get soft (I guess you will eat them before it happens, but…), you can return them to the oven for 10 minutes and let them cool again before serving.