Popular from the 16th century to the late 19th century, it was typically played on Christmas Eve, when a wide, shallow dish was filled with raisins and then heated brandy was poured over it. The candles were snuffed out and the brandy was set alight, after which everyone playing the game attempted to snatch the burning fruit from the tray and eat it. While it was still burning.
In 1832, the game was described in The Book of Days: ‘The bystanders now endeavour, by turns, to grasp a raisin, by plunging their hands through the flames; and as this is somewhat of an arduous feat, requiring both courage and rapidity of action, a considerable amount of laughter and merriment is evoked at the expense of the unsuccessful competitors’.
The 18th century journalist Richard Steele wrote that the fun was to see your opponent ‘look like a demon as we burnt ourselves and snatched at the fruit’. And in 1755, Samuel Johnson observed in his Dictionary of the English Language that the players ‘catch raisins out of burning brandy and, extinguishing them by closing the mouth and eating them’, adding that the quick could put the raisins ‘blazing into the mouth, but those unused to the sport may be afraid to take [them] out.’ Quite.
If you fancy the idea of a game of Snapdragon this Christmas Eve, follow the link below: a group from Atlas Obscura gave it a go, with surprising results.
