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A Christmas pudding is a desert, that is traditionally served on Christmas day. The Christmas pudding originated in England and has developed over time.

About[]

Christmas Pudding

A Christmas pudding is traditionally set alight.

A Christmas pudding (also known as plum pudding) is a steamed pudding containing dried fruits, sugar, treacle, and nuts, as well as spices. Some puddings are moistened with brandy (also known as alcohol), and many often contain suet. A Christmas pudding is round and very dark brown in colour, regularly topped with holly. A Christmas pudding can be kept for a long time and are often prepared months in advance. Some families have a tradition of making their Christmas pudding the year before. Many families have their own recipe for Christmas pudding, passed down through generations; however, it is now possible to buy a Christmas pudding from a supermarket. Christmas pudding is mostly served warm, although it can be served cold.

Cooking[]

The English Christmas pudding was traditionally boiled in a pudding cloth and shown as circular prior to the 19th century. Putting the batter in a basin and steaming it was the latest Victorian period trend, followed by unwrapping the pudding, setting it on a platter, and decorating the top with a sprig of holly. Typically, the first stage of cooking entails a long period of steaming. Most pre-twentieth-century recipes presume that the pudding would be eaten right away, but in the second half of the century, it became more common to reheat puddings on the day of service, and recipes adapted somewhat to accommodate this. To cook, reheat the pudding by steaming it again and dressing it with warm brandy that has been set alight. It's served with a hard sauce (usually brandy butter or rum butter), milk, lemon cream, ice cream, custard, or sweetened béchamel, and caster sugar is often poured on top.

Traditions[]

There are many old traditions involving Christmas puddings. Some of these include:

  • Set a Christmas pudding alight with brandy by pouring the liquid over the pudding and lighting it with a match.
  • Add a small silver coin to the mixture. It was believed that a silver coin would bring wealth to the family.
  • Every member of the family stirs the pudding mixture, while making a wish.

History[]

In the 14th century, the first version of the pudding was produced. The British made "frumenty," a porridge made of beef and mutton, raisins, wines, currants, and spices – such a mix of flavours! Pudding was almost like broth at the time, and it was served during the Christmas preparations. Frumenty was known by many names by the end of the 14th century, including plum pudding, Christmas pudding, and simply pud. Dried fruit became more widely available after the 16th century, and the pudding gradually changed from savoury to sweet.

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