Sweetheart Foods For Valentine’s Day

History behind Valentine’s Day

We all know Valentine’s Day to be the lovey-dovey sweet holiday where couples across the world decide to be extra affectionate for that one day of the year and in fact it is the most popular card-giving holiday after Christmas with over 150 million cards bought and exchanged. However, there is a lot more to it than that.

Historically, the origin of the priest St Valentine is a little fuzzy, but there are two versions of the Valentine’s Day tradition that are most likely to be true:

In 3^rd century Rome, Valentine, a priest was living under the rule of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius declared that he only wanted single men to be part of his great armies as they made better soldiers. However, Valentine went against the emperor’s wishes and still married couples in secret. When he was found out, he was executed – a true martyr for the sanctity of love and unity.

The other story is based around Valentine trying to protect Christians in Ancient Rome from imprisonment until he was found out and jailed himself. In prison, it is said that he fell in love with the jailor’s daughter and before he was killed, he sent a love letter signed “From your Valentine”.

Heart Shaped Valentine’s Day Foods

Nowadays, Valentine’s Day has evolved and it has become a very popular food based holiday. As ‘love’ is the theme of the day itself, it is no wonder that many people try and think of as many heart shaped treats they can share. Don’t give the traditional heart shaped chocolate this year – try something different with pancakes, cookies, pizza and potatoes!

Pancakes

Made like traditional pancakes, all you need to make them Valentine’s themed is a heart shaped cookie cutter – or you can get creative and shape it into a heart by pouring the batter yourself. You could even add a couple of drops of red food colouring for pink pancakes. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with forest fruits – maybe even decorate with half strawberries which can look like little hearts too!

Cookies

Same as with the pancakes, all you need is a heart cookie cutter to get the right shape out of your cookie dough. The great thing about heart shaped cookies is that you can make the kind you know that your loved one likes – whether it’s chocolate chip or shortbread!

Pizza

A manly Valentine’s treat if ever there was one – shape the dough into a heart then top with all your special someone’s favourite toppings. You could even spell out “I love you” in pepperoni if you’re feeling extra creative!

Potatoes

Clean and slice up a potato, then use a heart cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. Place the potatoes in cold water and soak for 8 hours. Drain and deep fry the potatoes until golden brown and then add them as a side dish to your romantic Valentine’s Day meal.

Who says you need to eat out on Valentine’s Day? Find many Valentine’s Day recipes on Recipebridge to celebrate this special day with your loved ones.