The children's nursery rhyme aside, hot cross buns are an actual pastry traditionally eaten on Good Friday, particularly in Great Britain. A sweet bread lightly flavored with fruits and spices, the bun is a fairly literal food — the white cross adorning each is an echo of Christ's suffering. Years ago, a false report was circulated by a British newspaper that the City of York had banned hot cross buns from its public schools in order to avoid offending non-Christians.