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Home > Blogs > Farm Life and Local Harvest > Archives > 2011 > December > 13 > Entry
The Proof is in the Pudding
There are many different Christmas traditions carried on here in the United States, with many of them being English. The picture of the quaint Victorian Christmas is portrayed in quite a few books and films, most notably A Christmas Carol. One tradition that tends to stand out is that of the Christmas Pudding. Dating back as early as the 1420s, a pudding, in English terms, can refer to several different things. One, it can refer to a savory dish such as a Yorkshire pudding or a black pudding. Two, it can also refer to a dense sweetened dish such as a rice pudding or Christmas pudding. The Christmas pudding was long regarded as the highlight of any period Christmas meal.
A Christmas pudding is similar to fruitcake in its density and contains many of the same ingrediants. The following is an 1860s English recipe for a Christmas pudding:
OLD ENGLISH CHRISTMAS PUDDING To make what is termed a pound pudding, take of raisins well stoned, currants thoroughly washed, one pound each; chop a pound of suet very finely and mix with them; add a quarter of a pound of flour, or bread very finely crumbled, three ounces of sugar, one ounce and a half of grated lemon-peel, a blade of mace, half a small nutmeg, one teaspoonful of ginger, half a dozen eggs well beaten; work it well together, put it into a cloth, tie it firmly, allowing room to swell, and boil not less than five hours. It should not be suffered to stop boiling.
[from Godey’s Lady’s Book, Dec. 1860]
Looking over the recipe, one will note the uses of dried fruits and spices similar to a fruitcake. The addition of suet also adds a unique element of extreme richness to this dessert. When buying suet, please ask a butcher and do not use the same type of suet marketed for birds. The preparation method for a Christmas pudding is also another aspect which makes it unique. Puddings are to be steamed or boiled. The cloth that the recipe refers to is what is known as a pudding cloth. Muslin can be used to make your own pudding cloth.
After the pudding has been steamed or boiled it is then ready to be served. A traditional method for serving it is to pour a small amount of brandy on top and lighting it. This creates a dramatic effect which helps showcase this prize piece of the Christmas feast.
