Figgy Pudding - Christmas Pudding (2024)

FAQs

Are figgy pudding and Christmas pudding the same? ›

It's made with alcohol and dried fruit and is a traditional English dessert. It's more like a cake than what Americans think of as a soft, custard-like pudding. Figgy pudding is also known as Christmas pudding or plum pudding. It can also be affectionately called “pud.”

Now a popular Christmas tradition, the dish is steeped in religious symbolism. It was historically made with 13 ingredients (said to represent Christ and the 12 apostles), garnished with holly (to represent the crown of thorns), and ceremoniously lit on fire (to represent the passion of Christ).

Christmas Pudding originated in medieval England. As the recipe evolved through time, the name evolved along with it. Known initially as Pottage, it has also been called Plum Pudding, Figgy Pudding, and Frumenty.

Christmas pudding is sweet, dried-fruit pudding traditionally served as part of Christmas dinner in Britain and other countries to which the tradition has been exported.

In America, Christmas Pudding (also known as plum pudding or figgy pudding) is a dish as famous as it is misunderstood.

Christmas pudding might seem a bit strange to Americans

Christmas pudding, also referred to as figgy pudding or plum pudding, is another long-time holiday tradition in the UK.

Spam Figgy Pudding is a thing that exists now. Reviews have been mixed. As the Thanksgiving and Christmas season returns to something like normalcy, perhaps it's time for new traditions. The mad scientists at luncheon meat packager Hormel have one idea: Spam Figgy Pudding.

As time went on other dried fruits were used in the cake but the word “figgy” stuck around. By the Victorian era raisins and currants were typically the fruits to use, although confusingly raisins (and dried fruit in general) were known as “plums” at the time — hence why the dish is sometimes called “plum pudding.”

The Differences

Ingredients: Figgy pudding primarily contains dried fruits, breadcrumbs, and suet, while fruitcake is packed with a variety of candied and dried fruits, nuts, and spices. Texture: Figgy pudding has a moist and dense texture, while fruitcake is a dense cake with a chewy, fruity consistency.

Why do we put brandy on Christmas pudding? ›

The flaming brandy is said to represent the passion of Christ. Christmas puddings were traditionally boiled in a “pudding cloth”, although today are usually steamed in a bowl. Presented on the table with a sprig of holly, they are then doused in brandy and set alight.

It is key that every member of the family gives the pudding mixture a stir and makes a wish at the same time. Traditionally, a silver sixpence was stirred in to bring whoever found the coin on Christmas Day wealth and good luck in the year to come.

With respect to the different names, the short answer is that figgy pudding can be considered a much earlier precursor of plum pudding and they've both come to be referred to as Christmas pudding. Figgy pudding dates back to the 14th century and was a much different dish than what we refer to as figgy pudding today.

Main outcome measures: Ethanol concentration of each pudding; estimated BAC of health care professionals after ingestion and at the end of a 30-minute lunch break. Results: The concentration of ethanol in common Christmas puddings ranged from 0.260 to 1.685 g per 125 mg slice.

Yes. Many foods have traces of alcohol (Ethanol) and many other alcohols can be present in trace amounts. The volume of alcohol in Christmas pudding is not high, even when flambeed and served with Brandy butter or a whisky sauce.

Is figgy pudding the same as fruit cake? No. Traditional figgy pudding is a British dish that is more like a bread pudding that may or may not include dried fruit like raisins. So although there are similarities for sure, they are not the same thing.

Cratchit's confectionery success, the figgy (also known as the plum or Christmas) pudding has a long history.

Why is Christmas pudding also known as plum pudding? The interesting thing is, plum pudding does not contain any plum! This goes back to the Victorian practice of substituting dried plums with other dried fruits, such as raisins.