1

A hot cross bun is a type of sweet spiced bun made with currants and leavened with yeast.

L'hot cross bun è un tipo di panino dolce speziato fatto con uva sultanina e lievitato con lievito naturale.
NOTA: con hot cross bun si intende un panino dolce con uva sultanina e spezie, con inciso sopra un disegno a croce, delizioso quando consumato appena uscito dal forno: in Inghilterra lo si consuma durante la settimana di Pasqua.

2

It has a cross on the top which might be made in a variety of ways:

Ha un disegno a croce sulla sommità che può essere realizzato in diversi modi: 

3

it could be pastry, made from a simple flour and water mixture, cut from rice paper and glazed onto the bun, or simply cut into the bun itself.

può essere un impasto composto da una semplice miscela di farina ed acqua, ritagliato dalla carta di riso e spalmato come glassa sul panino, oppure può essere un disegno semplicemente inciso nel panino stesso.

4

In many historically Christian countries, the buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of Christ.

In molti paesi a tradizione cristiana, questi panini sono tradizionalmente mangiati il Venerdì Santo: la croce, ovviamente, sta a rappresentare il simbolo di Cristo.
Traduzione letterale: con la croce che sta come un simbolo di Cristo

5

They are believed by some to pre-date Christianity, however, being used in rituals in paganism, though there is no original source and the first recorded use of the phrase hot cross bun is not until 1733.

C'è però chi crede che gli hot cross bun siano anteriori all'avvento del cristianesimo e che fossero consumati nei rituali pagani, tuttavia non esiste una fonte originale ed la prima testimonianza scritta dell'espressione hot cross bun risale solo al 1733.    

6

Another urban myth is that the Christian church in England attempted to ban them, but they were too popular, and instead Elizabeth I passed a law permitting their consumption, but only on particular religious occasions such as Easter and Christmas.

Un’altra leggenda urbana è che la chiesa inglese cercò di proibirli, ma erano troppo popolari, ed anzi Elisabetta I approvò una legge che ne permetteva il consumo ma solo durante delle particolari ricorrenze religiose come Pasqua e Natale. 

7

Around Easter 2003, the Daily Telegraph among other newspapers, reported that several local authorities in England (in particular Tower Hamlets Borough Council) had banned schools serving hot cross buns on the grounds of political correctness, believing the symbol of the cross could be offensive to non-Christians.

Verso la Pasqua del 2003, il Daily Telegraph, tra gli altri giornali, riportò la notizia che molte autorità locali inglesi (in particolare il consiglio distrettuale di Tower Hamlets) avevano proibito alle scuole di servire gli hot cross bun per ragioni di correttezza politica, ritenendo che il simbolo della croce potesse risultare offensivo per i non cristiani.

8

This step was widely condemned, most vocally by Ann Widdecombe.

Questo provvedimento venne condannato un po' da tutti ma in modo molto netto soprattutto da Ann Widdecombe. 

9

As one of the cited councils, that of the City of York, issued a statement making clear that while the buns were not being served, this was for "no particular reason", and accusing the newspaper's reporter of bad faith, the veracity of the entire report was questioned.

Quando uno dei consigli citati, quello della città di York, rilasciò una dichiarazione che chiariva che sebbene gli hot cross bun non erano stati serviti, questo era avvenuto “senza alcun motivo particolare” e che accusava il giornalista del quotidiano di malafede, la veridicità dell’intero articolo fu messa in dubbio.

A hot cross bun is a type of sweet spiced bun made with currants and leavened with yeast.

It has a cross on the top which might be made in a variety of ways:

it could be pastry, made from a simple flour and water mixture, cut from rice paper and glazed onto the bun, or simply cut into the bun itself.

In many historically Christian countries, the buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of Christ.

They are believed by some to pre-date Christianity, however, being used in rituals in paganism, though there is no original source and the first recorded use of the phrase hot cross bun is not until 1733.

Another urban myth is that the Christian church in England attempted to ban them, but they were too popular, and instead Elizabeth I passed a law permitting their consumption, but only on particular religious occasions such as Easter and Christmas.

Around Easter 2003, the Daily Telegraph among other newspapers, reported that several local authorities in England (in particular Tower Hamlets Borough Council) had banned schools serving hot cross buns on the grounds of political correctness, believing the symbol of the cross could be offensive to non-Christians.

This step was widely condemned, most vocally by Ann Widdecombe.

As one of the cited councils, that of the City of York, issued a statement making clear that while the buns were not being served, this was for "no particular reason", and accusing the newspaper's reporter of bad faith, the veracity of the entire report was questioned.