Christmas pudding
Traditional British boiled pudding served at Christmas dinner.
Christmas pudding is a sweet pudding, either boiled or steamed, that has long been a fixture of Christmas dinner in Britain. Its roots go back to medieval England, where early versions used dried fruit, suet, breadcrumbs, flour, eggs, spices, and a liquid like milk or fortified wine. It’s also called plum pudding, though that name can refer to other boiled puddings with dried fruit. The word “plum” originally meant what we now call a raisin, so the pudding doesn’t contain modern plums.
Many families have their own recipes, often passed down through generations. The basic recipe combines ingredients that were once expensive or luxurious—especially sweet spices, which give it a rich aroma, and suet. The pudding turns very dark, nearly black, from dark sugars, black treacle, and the long cooking time. The mixture can be moistened with citrus juice, brandy, other alcohol, or dark beers like mild, stout, or porter.
Before the 19th century, the pudding was boiled in a cloth and often round. In the Victorian era, it became common to steam it in a basin, then turn it out onto a platter and top it with a sprig of holly. Initial cooking takes many hours of steaming. Most pre-1900 recipes assumed it would be served right away, but in the later 20th century, it became more usual to reheat it on serving day, and recipes adjusted to allow for maturing. To serve, it’s steamed again and may be dressed with warm brandy that’s set alight. It can be eaten with hard sauce (like brandy butter or rum butter), cream, lemon cream, ice cream, custard, or sweetened béchamel, and sometimes sprinkled with caster sugar.
A popular myth says plum pudding’s Christmas link comes from a medieval custom: it should be made on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, with 13 ingredients for Christ and the apostles, and stirred from east to west to honor the Magi. But plum pudding recipes appear mainly from the 17th century onward. One of the earliest is by Mary Kettilby in her 1714 book. Another unsubstantiated myth claims that in 1714, George I asked for plum pudding at his first Christmas feast in England.
Possible ancestors of Christmas pudding include savory puddings from old manuscripts, croustades, malaches whyte, creme boiled (a stirred custard), and sippets. Early bag puddings, like “fraunche mele,” didn’t need an oven, which most lower-class households lacked.
- First named recipe
- 1753 in The Lady's Companion
Lore & Background
Christmas pudding's possible ancestors include savoury puddings, croustades, and creme boiled. Early plum pudding recipes appear mainly in the 17th century and later; one of the earliest is by Mary Kettilby in 1714. Prior to the 19th century, the pudding was boiled in a cloth and often round. In the Victorian era, it was steamed in a basin and decorated with holly. A recipe for 'Christmas pudding' appears in The Lady's Companion (1753), predating Eliza Acton's 1845 version. Charles Dickens' 1843 novel A Christmas Carol helped popularize it as a Christmas tradition.
Reader's Guide
Christmas pudding became a symbol of Britishness and unity throughout the British Empire. In 1927, the Empire Marketing Board distributed a royal recipe with ingredients sourced from various colonies, such as Australian currants, South African raisins, Canadian apples, Jamaican rum, and English beer. The recipe was a phenomenal success. In 1931, a 10-ton Christmas pudding was created for a charity market, divided into over 11,000 smaller puddings for the poor. The tradition of 'Stir up Sunday' began in the late Victorian era, linking the making of the pudding to a Church of England collect. The pudding is often reheated by steaming, dressed with warm brandy set alight, and served with hard sauce, cream, or custard.
Did You Know?
- The word 'plum' in plum pudding originally referred to what is now called a raisin; the pudding does not contain modern plums.
- The 1931 'Prince of Wales' Empire Christmas Pudding' weighed approximately 5 tons, not 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Christmas pudding and where did the tradition originate?
Christmas pudding is a dense, sweet steamed or boiled dessert that has anchored Christmas dinners in Britain for centuries. Its earliest forms trace back to medieval England, where cooks blended dried fruit, suet, breadcrumbs, eggs, and warm spices into a thick batter. The custom has since spread across the English-speaking world, including Australia.
Why is it called "plum pudding" if there are no plums in it?
In older English, the word "plum" referred to what we now call a raisin, not the modern stone fruit. So "plum pudding" simply means a pudding studded with raisins and other dried fruits. No actual plums appear in the traditional recipe.
What are the core ingredients in a traditional Christmas pudding?
A classic version combines dried fruits, suet, breadcrumbs or flour, eggs, milk or a fortified wine, and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. The batter is typically soaked, then steamed or boiled for several hours, and often finished with a pour of brandy before serving. Many Australian families layer in their own secret additions passed down through generations.
When was the first written Christmas pudding recipe published?
The earliest named recipe recognisable as Christmas pudding appeared in 1753 in a book titled The Lady's Companion. Prior to that, the dish existed in various medieval and early-modern English forms without a single standardised written recipe.
How is Christmas pudding traditionally prepared and served in Australia?
It is commonly made weeks ahead of Christmas, then steamed or boiled for an extended period to set the dense batter. On the day it is served warm, frequently flambéed with brandy, and paired with custard or thick cream. It remains one of the most eagerly awaited desserts on the Australian Christmas dinner table.
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