Sami Klaus Comes And The Christmas Baking Begins

Whereas in North America, the jolly fat man in a red suit slides down chimneys on the 24th of December, things are different in my hometown in Switzerland. On December 6th (the anniversary of the death of Saint Nicholas) Sami Klaus comes to visit. And, he doesn’t slip in at night – he arrives at your door.

In every village in Switzerland, local men dress up as Sami Klaus and visit the houses with children. They bring mandarin oranges, nuts, and other goodies for the good children – and a broom made of twigs for switching the bad children. For some reason, I always got the broom.

For me, December 6th marks the beginning of the Christmas season. So, from today on, we’ll be baking all sorts of Christmas goodies In The Devil’s Kitchen. Look forward to old favourites (like gingerbread houses and sugar cookies) and some of my old favourites from my childhood in Switzerland (like Brunslli and Zimtsterne). There’ll also be a large Stollen (which will make you take a whole new view of fruitcake) and a number of Christmas dishes (like the delicious Christmas chicken breast roll we favour over turkey – more stuffing).

Enjoy the Christmas season with devilish delights.