Few Christmas traditions are as deeply woven into British history as the beloved plum pudding. This rich, spiced dessert, now synonymous with Christmas, dates back to medieval times, evolving from a hearty, meat-filled porridge into the decadent, brandy-soaked treat we know today.
Popularised during the Victorian era, thanks in part to Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens, plum pudding became an essential part of festive celebrations. But how did this humble dish rise to such prominence, and why is it still a cherished tradition? Let’s explore the fascinating journey of Christmas pudding—from its rustic beginnings to its place at the heart of holiday feasts.
Christmas pudding combines two ancient, at least mediaeval, recipes in a relatively modern way. First, there was “plum pottage,” a watery porridge containing any combination of meats, dried fruits, and spices. These foods could be stored until the winter feast.
The term “plum” was used interchangeably with dried fruits such as currants and raisins until the 18th century. By the 14th century, “Figgy pudding,” which is depicted in the hymn “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” had made its way into the recorded record. It was bundled with flour and suet and cooked by steaming, combining savoury and sweet elements, and it didn’t necessarily contain figs. It produced a heated mass that was rounder and firmer.
The two combined to create the more well-known plum pudding in the 18th century, a steamed dessert that had the components of the quickly expanding British Empire of trade and power. The availability of formerly upscale products, such as French brandy, Mediterranean raisins, and Caribbean citrus, was more important than a novel approach to cooking.
By the middle of the century, few things were more inexpensive than cane sugar, which was available in even the poorest and most isolated British homes because of the labour of millions of enslaved Africans. Although it is not yet solely linked to Christmas, plum pudding has become a quintessential British festive dish due to the low cost of sugar and the increased accessibility of additional sweet ingredients like citrus and dried fruits.
It was so popular that it was used as the focal point of one of the most well-known cartoons by English satire James Gillray, which showed Napoleon Bonaparte and the British prime minister cutting the world out of pudding.
The Victorians transformed the plum pudding into the “Christmas pudding,” in keeping with other contemporary Christmas celebrations.
Charles Dickens praised the dish as the ideal focal point of any family’s Christmas feast in his widely read “A Christmas Carol,” published in 1843: “Mrs. Cratchit entered, flushed but beaming, with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half a quarter of ignited brandy with Christmas holly stuck into the top.”
Three years later, Queen Victoria’s favourite recipe was published by her cook, making Christmas pudding the dream of British households, much like the Christmas tree.
The socioeconomic accessibility of Christmas pudding was largely responsible for its enduring appeal. A tiny mountain of raisins and currants, candied citrus peel, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemons, cloves, brandy, and other inexpensive delicacies for the middle class were all included in Victoria’s recipe, which went on to become a classic. Less wealthy people might choose smaller quantities or alternative drinks, such as brandy instead of ale.
A popular cookbook author of the time, Eliza Acton, contributed to the renaming of plum pudding as Christmas pudding and provided a particularly economical recipe that used potatoes and carrots.
Christmas pudding quickly spread throughout the empire as a result of white colonists’ attempts to mimic British culture. By the middle of the century, even European goldfield diggers in Austria had included it in their festivities.
During Victoria’s reign, the puddings were sold to British soldiers in Afghanistan and even to the boundaries of the empire because of their high alcohol content, which allowed them to last for a year or longer. In 1855, Christmas pudding was a popular treat for British soldiers serving in the Crimea, providing a much-needed break from the bitter weather.
The Victorian era saw the introduction of Christmas puddings, as we know them, by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, as a family custom. The puddings tasted and looked just like they do now. But back then, they were all prepared at home, requiring the chopping and mixing of all the components. Nowadays, the majority of people purchase them from supermarkets. Sometimes, people burn the puddings after pouring brandy over them.
The earliest Christmas pudding recipes, which go all the way back to the Middle Ages, are nothing like the puddings we eat today. They included chopped chicken, pheasant, rabbit, and partridge and were referred to as mince pie at the time. Later, the combination was supplemented with sugar, apples, raisins, candied lemons and oranges.
The traditional pudding evolved into a type of porridge in the fourteenth century, consisting of wine, mixed spices, meat, mutton, raisins, currents, and prunes. Before the Christmas festivities started, this was consumed.
By 1595, the recipe—now known as plum pudding—included breadcrumbs, eggs, and dried fruit. Some people weren’t pleased with the puddings. The Puritans, a group of people, believed that this pudding was unfit for consumption by God’s followers.
By 1714, King George had declared that the puddings should only be consumed during the Christmas season because they were no longer made with meat.
In the Victorian era, Catholic and Anglican churches commemorated Stir-Up Sunday as a religious observance. The first words of the day’s prayer or “collect” in the Book of Common Prayer are where the moniker “Stir-Up Sunday” comes from. “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people…” is the opening line of the petition. Eventually, the custom of preparing Christmas puddings came to be linked with the day.
Making Christmas pudding was not the only custom associated with Stir-Up Sunday. The original intent was religious, with the goal of preparing the congregation’s minds and spirits for Advent. The faithful were urged to bear “the fruit of good works” by the prayer. But in the 1700s, when people recognised that this was the perfect time to make their Christmas puddings, the Stir-Up Sunday custom became a culinary custom. About four weeks are needed for a well-made Christmas pudding to mature and develop its flavours.
These days, family time and festive planning are the main goals of the Stir-Up Sunday custom. Christmas pudding is mixed and steamed in the kitchen while families congregate. Everybody has the opportunity to stir the pudding mix and create a unique wish for the upcoming year as parents pass along the recipe to their kids. The custom is to stir the pudding mixture from east to west in remembrance of the three wise men who came to see Jesus when he was a newborn.
From its medieval roots as a humble porridge to its grand entrance as the star of the Victorian Christmas table, plum pudding has stood the test of time. It became more than just a dessert—it symbolised family, festivity, and the spirit of Christmas. Stir-Up Sunday continues to bring families together, passing down recipes and traditions through generations. Whether homemade or store-bought, flambéed in brandy or simply sliced and served, Christmas pudding remains a cherished centrepiece of holiday celebrations. As we enjoy this rich and flavorful tradition, we partake in a centuries-old legacy that unites past and present in the warmth of festive cheer.
