Every superhero has an origin story, and for many people, the Christmas pudding is the superhero of the festive season.
This dark, fruit-flavoured delight is as central to the festivities as the Christmas decorations and the tree. So, where do its origins lie?
Well, the answer should make English patriots proud, as it hails from this country. These puddings first appeared during the 14th century, although they looked – and tasted – a lot different back then! The early version resembled thick soup, and was called “frumenty”. It featured everything from mutton and beef to currants, raisins and wine.
The puddings moved decisively from savoury flavours to sweet ones in the 17th century. By then, it was easier for people to get dried fruits to put into the mix. The puddings that we know and love today became an essential part of the British Christmas by the middle of that century, even surviving an attempted ban by the Puritans.
Thankfully, someone gave King George I a sample of Christmas pudding in 1714. He liked it so much that he insisted it be restored to its prominent place at the heart of the Christmas dinner. After all, no one was likely to argue with him.
One interesting thing about the standard Christmas pudding is that it is also referred to as plum pudding. This might not seem so strange, except for the fact that plums are among the few fruits that have never featured in it. This is because the Victorians called any puddings with dried fruit in them ‘plum puddings’. You learn something new every day!
