December 25 - Christmas Pudding Day

nPosted on December 25, 2018

Key Points

nBrits have a traditional food often served on Christmas Day, something variously called Christmas pudding, plum pudding, figgy pudding, or pud.

n(1) Despite the name, there are no plums in plum pudding. Back in the day (and I guess to some now), plum meant dried fruits. Most Christmas puddings are made with lots of raisins and currants, plus maybe other dried fruits such as prunes and figs (and sometimes fresh fruits), eggs, suet (hard fat from beef), treacle or molasses, and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.

(2) The dessert is often aged a month or even longer. I know, yick! But cheeses are also aged and turn out yummy, so we can assume that this turns out well, too.

n(3) The reason why it doesn’t spoil during that “month or longer” is that there is a lot of alcohol in it – brandy, dark beer, or some other kind of alcohol. I personally cannot eat even a smidge of alcohol (some sort of intolerance), so I can never try this traditional meal-ender.

n(4) Christmas pudding is boiled a long time – hours and hours. Although many are then stored / aged for many more hours or days, some are served immediately. Recipes vary.

n(5) If the pudding is stored or aged, it is reheated by being steamed, and then it is topped with a sprig of holly before warm brandy is poured over it and set alight. (Yikes, more alcohol!) It is traditionally served with hard sauce (more alcohol!), cream, lemon cream, ice cream, and/or custard.

nHere are some traditions that surround the pudding:

nEvery member of the household, or at least all of the children and servants, gives the mixture a stir while making a wish.

Small silver coins are often stirred into the pudding. Whoever gets a coin in their serving gets to keep the coin but is also supposed to get wealth in the coming year.

nIf it’s not bad enough to be choking on coins in your dessert, other items often included in the pudding are a silver thimble (to help the finder become thrifty), a tiny anchor (to ensure the finder have safety, like a safe harbor), and a tiny wishbone (to bring good luck). Honestly, I know that people sometimes hide engagement rings in food, too, but I cannot say I like any of this “Surprise! There’s something in your food you shouldn’t swallow!” stuff.