Coventry Godcakes are baked puff pastry pasties containing sweet mincemeat, which originate from the city of Coventry, England. They are in the form of a right-angled isosceles triangle,[1] marked with three slits on the top and sprinkled with sugar. The triangular shape and the markings are said to be reference to the Holy Trinity.[2]
Godcakes are a New Year tradition in the city, and are given by godparents to their godchildren along with a blessing for the year ahead.[3]
In 2010, Leigh Waite, a local Blue Badge Tourist Guide with an interest in baking, was given a recipe by a local historian David McGrory. Leigh tried out the recipe, producing them to sell during the annual Heritage Open Weekend event in the city.[4]
In August 2012, the Coventry Godcake was officially re-launched at a celebration event at Coventry Transport Museum attended by the Lord Mayor and guests, including the Coventry Mummers.[5]
The triangles created in country lanes where three lanes meet derive their names from the Coventry Godcake. A triangle is created by the passing of farm vehicles, originally horse-drawn carts, as they turn. The so-called "god cakes", which are not particular to any one city or county, take their name from these triangular pastries.
