The Cape Breton Dessert That Made Halloweens Extra Memorable

Growing up in rural Cape Breton, my Halloween didn’t exactly look like that of other kids. Masquerading as a fisherman was common and homemade treats like brown sugar fudge were prized over potato chips and mini chocolate bars. But the memory that stands out the most was eating fuarag.

Fuarag is a near-forgotten dessert that survives in Gaelic-speaking western Cape Breton. On Halloween night, Gaelic-Canadian families would prepare a giant bowl of it, to the delight of the trick-or-treaters. Everyone who came to the door would take a spoonful—from the same bowl, and sometimes with the same spoon!

Fuarag (pronounced foo-ar-ak) is as simple as it is delicious. Heavy cream is whipped by hand and toasted oats are added until the mixture is thick and creamy. If you were lucky, the fuarag was lightly sweetened with brown sugar and the adults-only version was known to contain a splash or two of spirits. But that sweet treat wasn’t all that was in the bowl. Fuarag traditionally includes a hidden ring, button, thimble and coin in the creamy oatmeal mix—spooning up one of these treasures predicted the taster's future. A ring promises wedded bliss in the coming year. A coin indicates wealth. A thimble and a button predicted poverty and singlehood (or vice versa, depending on whom you ask). Some communities incorporate unique charms (like a needle, which indicated that you’d be a housewife, or a holy medal, which predicted that you’d join a religious order), and some families developed their own traditions (such as burying multiple buttons; the person to find the most was the winner).

Centuries ago, preparing fuarag in Scotland was a serious business. Scottish folklorist Marian McNeill, in her 1950s book The Silver Bough, details the ritual of preparing an old-fashioned Scottish fuarag. “Having made the deiseil (sunwise) circuit of the room, they placed the churn on a table and, singing an old Gaelic churning-lilt as they worked, proceeded to whip the cream with a rhythmic motion until it had attained the proper consistency,” she writes. “The implement used was the traditional fro’ing stick (frothing stick), the base of which consists of a small wooden cross with a ring of cow’s hair round it. A few handfuls of lightly toasted oatmeal were then thrown in. (This imparts an agreeably nutty flavour to the cream.) Finally, the charms were added, and every one crowded round with spoon and saucer to try his luck.”

In Cape Breton, fuarag isn’t prepared with a cow-haired frothing stick and making a sunwise circuit of the room isn’t usually observed, but the dish is an important part of a seasonal ritual. This isn’t just a Halloween treat but an important part of Oidhche Shamhna (which refers to the night before Samhain, which is the Gaelic word for November and also the name of an ancient Celtic festival that marked the beginning of winter). According to the Nova Scotia Museum,“it was a time when fairies and spirits roamed and it was best to disguise yourself to avoid being harmed or snatched away by them!” Lighting bonfires and visiting others while in disguise were popular activities, as was hollowing out a turnip, carving a face in it and placing it over a windowsill candle to scare away the spirits. Communal sustenance was an essential part of the bonding experience—and that’s where fuarag comes in.

Even when I was trick-or-treating decades ago, the tradition of offering fuarag was dying out in favour of store-bought treats. However, the practice is still maintained by community groups. I have fond memories of eating fuarag at heritage days, youth group events and during special festivals.

The Highland Village Museum in Iona, Cape Breton, is one of the organizations working hard to keep fuarag and Oidhche Shamhna rituals alive. Described as North America’s only living history museum for Gaelic language and culture, the 43-acre site features historic buildings and a robust calendar of events. Visitors can participate in a traditional céilidh (musical gathering) and learn to speak Gaelic phrases. Each October, the museum hosts Oidhche nam Bòcan (Night of the Spirits), a two-day program that includes evening lamplight tours of the grounds, storytelling, skits and plenty of fuarag (along with other local delicacies like homemade oatcakes).

While the Highland Village is eager to preserve the rituals and traditions of early Gaelic settlers, they encourage visitors to make their own twist on fuarag. “Change can be a healthy part of tradition,” says Dr. Shamus Y. MacDonald, PhD, a manager at the museum. “The essential elements of the tradition remain the same: people coming together to have fun by hiding something in a traditional homemade treat at Halloween. Similarly, many people choose to wrap traditional items like money and rings in tinfoil today for sanitary reasons. These are adaptations of the tradition, but the core elements of the tradition remain intact.”

For a modern take on fuarag, dessert cups, tart shells or chocolate cups can be used for serving. You can present it in Mason jar parfaits with berries or make a whiskey-soaked version in shot glasses. Instead of inedible charms, tasty versions can easily be included (like slivered nuts, chocolate coins, tiny cookies, gummies, jelly beans, apple chunks, cranberries or edible flowers). It’s a joyful reminder of the fun of community festivals, the powerful changes of the season, and the delight in indulging your fears of ghosts and otherworldliness—if only for a night.

How To Make Fuarag: An Easy Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or to taste)
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• Tokens or treats to hide* (*optional; but if included this treat is not suitable for small children and should be consumed carefully)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300F.
• Spread the oats onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 20 minutes until nutty smelling and golden brown.
• Combine the cream and sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.
• Fold the oats into the cream
• Spoon the mixture into your desired serving method and gently tuck the tokens and treats inside so they’re not visible.