Christmas pudding is a popular dessert served traditionally on 25th December, the Christmas day. The dessert has its origin in medieval England. At times, the dessert is also called plum duff or plum pudding, which might refer to a type of a boiled pudding garnished with dried fruit. There are several Christmas pudding recipes, with each and every household having its own recipe for the dish, which is essentially made with luxurious ingredients. The pudding is dark in color, often black, due to the use of black treacle and dark sugars, and prolonged cooking time. It usually contains suet as one of the vital ingredients. The use of sweet spices in the dish helps in imparting a distinct aroma to the pudding. The moisture content of the pudding is attained with the help of use of brandy, any kind of alcohol (dark beers like porter or stout are the preferred choices), and citrus fruit juices.
The pudding is mainly eaten on Christmas; however, a few people prefer to preserve the pudding to be eaten a few days later on Easter.
History
The history of Christmas pudding, earlier famous by the name plum pudding, can be traced to medieval England, with the declaration by the Roman Catholic Church that the pudding ought to be prepared on 25th Sunday, after Trinity, essentially with thirteen ingredients, for representing Christ and 12 apostles. Various recipes of plum puddings came into limelight in and after 17th century. Before the 17th century, in 1420s, the pudding did not emerge as a dessert or confection; it was considered to be method of preserving meat during the season’s end time. The shortage of fodder resulted in slaughtering of surplus livestock in autumn, which was preserved in pastry cases, along with some dried fruits. The large sized minced pies were then used to feed people during festive season. Thereafter, in Roman times, a vegetable and meat concoction emerged, which was prepared with slow cooking method, along with sugar, spices, and dried fruits, with the dish referred as plum pottage. Thereafter, in the year 1714, it was requested by King George I to serve the plum pudding as a royal feast on the occasion of his first Christmas in England. The pudding was originally consumed at Harvest festival, and later on became a Christmas affair, with the use of several ingredients viz. fruits, flour, sugar, spices, and suet, with the pudding topped with a holy sprig.
Traditional and Contemporary Preparation
Christmas puddings are usually dried out for a few weeks, on hooks, prior to being served, for enhanced flavor. In the ancient time, a traditional cloth was used to prepare the pudding, in place of a basin. Before 19th century, the Christmas pudding in England was prepared by way of boiling it in pudding cloth, represented in round form. In new Victorian era, the pudding was prepared in a basin. The batter is steamed after being placed in a basin. It is then placed on a platter, and served after decorating the top with a holy sprig. In order to reduce the steaming time, the pudding is sometimes steamed in a pressure cooker instead of a steamer.
Ingredients and Preparation
The ingredients required to make Christmas pudding include raisins, silvered almonds, chopped suet, chopped dates, salt, fine wheat flour, allspice, ground cloves, grated nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, eggs, lemon juice, orange juice, grated apple, buttermilk, sultanas, brandy, white bread crumbs, and currants. All the ingredients are combined together and allowed to stand throughout the night, prior to placing the mix into greased pudding bowls or pudding basins. The pudding bowls or basins are covered with grease-proof paper, secured with the help of a string, and cooked in pressure cooker or steamer for a few hours. The pudding is allowed to mature for around a month, prior to serving. A few people prefer to consume the pudding after a year or so, so that the flavors are properly matured.
Serving
The pudding is slightly steamed prior to being served, and served after dressing it with warm brandy. The Christmas pudding can be served with brandy butter, hard sauce, rum butter, lemon cream, sweetened béchamel, or custard. At times, caster sugar is sprinkled on top of the pudding prior to being served.