Did you Know the history of the Christmas Pudding
The origins of the Christmas pudding dates back to the fourteenth century. This Christmas tradition began as a ’porridge’ called frumenty. This included beef, mutton, raisins, currents, prunes, wine, and mixed spices. It was a soup-like fasting dish eaten before the Christmas celebrations commenced.
- In 1595, spirits, dried fruit, eggs, and breadcrumbs were added to the recipe and it became a dish known as plum pudding.
- In 1664 it was banned by the Puritans as it was considered sinful.
- In 1714, King George I re-established the pudding as part of the Christmas feast. Meat was eliminated from the recipe and more sweets were added.
- It was at this time that the tradition of sprinkling it with brandy and setting it aflame.
- By Victorian times it had become the pudding we know of today.
- It is traditionally made five weeks before Christmas, on or after the Sunday before Advent.
- That day was known as “Stir-up Sunday,” as each family member in the household gave the pudding a stir with a wooden spoon, and made a wish.
- It is traditional to include small silver coins in the pudding mixture.
- In the Victorian times the usual choice was a silver sixpence. The coin was believed to bring wealth and good luck in the coming year. However this practice fell away once real silver coins were not available, as it was believed that alloy coins would taint the pudding.
- The rich and heavy pudding is boiled or steamed, made of a heavy mixture of fresh or dried fruit, nuts and sometimes suet, a raw beef or mutton fat. It is very dark, almost black, and is saturated with brandy, dark beer, or other alcohols. Christmas pudding used to be boiled in a “pudding cloth,” but today they are usually made in basins