If you have ever read A Christmas Carol (or seen many of its filmed adaptations), then you have heard about this traditional Christmas desert. While called today Christmas Pudding, it has been known as Plum Pudding or its earlier incarnation Figgy Pudding. All three are essentially the same though variations do exist. At one time spices and fruits were often exotic and expensive, so this pudding was a way of serving them. Like fruitcake, you baked these weeks before you would actually eat. Traditionally a Christmas Pudding was baked five weeks before Christmas. This allowed the pudding to mature its flavor and would regularly be soaked with brandy. Thus, by Christmas day it would be very flavorful.

The original figgy pudding though was quite different than its counterparts that came later. Back in the 14^th century it was a porridge that had boiled figs, water, wine, almonds, honey, and raisins. This is what is referred to in the song “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” when the carolers would gather outside wealthy people’s homes and ask for this pudding (since it contained exotic ingredients). Another incarnation of this later would include meat as well. A further evolution of it turned it into a round cake made with raisins and steamed. The name Plum Pudding is misleading to us today. A very long time ago plum referred to any dried fruit that was used and usually this pudding contained raisins (and no plums). By the Victorian era that name was dropped, and it became the Christmas Pudding. However, the older names still are spoken in different places in the UK (and even here in the US), so those old names are still floating around.

When you prepared it five weeks ahead of Christmas, often whole families would be involved (which is why the term Stir Up Sunday was coined as the day it was made). Often a six pence coin would be added so that whoever got it would get good luck for the year. Then when all done, wrapped up and stored in a cool pantry (often the basement) until it was needed. In olden days (certainly the time in which Mrs. Cratchit was cooking it), it would take up to four hours or longer to steam the pudding. Since suet was used, the longer cooking time was needed to make it soft. Suet was used since it provided both moisture and sweetness, but over time it would be replaced as more fruit and sugar were available. Mrs. Cratchit was living in the time when this change was occurring but considering that they lived modestly, she probably used suet as it might have been easier to obtain rather than more fruits and sugar. By 1845 certainly the change was done as cookbooks show it without suet.

Since the British had colonies all over the world, Christmas pudding would be exported to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. In the U.S. it was known in the earlier pre-Independence days and was popular later with British and Irish that immigrated here. It would morph ultimately into bread pudding that used stale bread, spices, fruits, suet, raisins, and brandy. Many variations exist today though suet has been dropped in most of them.

Today can purchase ready-made Christmas puddings avoiding having to make it yourself. All you have to do is steam for an hour and it is ready to go. Traditionally you would top the pudding with a sprig of holly representing the crown of thorns Jesus wore. And after you douse it with some alcohol and then light it up, this signifies his passion. Now if you make it yourself, you can steam it for a long time to get it really dark as that makes both very tasty and looks like the pictures of it from long ago. Also topping it some brandy butter makes it even more delicious. While you can purchase them online or in specialty stores, you can easily make it yourself. Check out one recipe here. Making your own brandy butter is very easily and you control how much brandy and sweetness you put into it.

For More Information

Nate Barksdale, “The History of Christmas Pudding,” HISTORY, last modified October 5, 2023, https://www.history.com/news/the-holiday-history-of-christmas-pudding.

Kimberly Killebrew, “Traditional Figgy Pudding (Christmas Pudding),” The Daring Gourmet, last modified March 29, 2024, https://www.daringgourmet.com/christmas-pudding/.

“Christmas Just Isn’t Christmas Without a Traditional British Pudding,” The Spruce Eats, last modified September 16, 2024, https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-christmas-pudding-recipe-435070.

WhyChristmas, “The History of Christmas Pudding,” https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/christmas-pudding.

Wikipedia contributors, “Christmas Pudding,” Wikipedia, last modified December 18, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pudding.

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