The War Over Christmas Pudding

There is a war going on in Britain over Christmas pudding, and any sufficiently curious American will discover this.

The Brits seem to mostly agree on the ingredients of traditional English Christmas pudding. These typically include bread crumbs, flour, eggs, sugar, dried fruits (raisins, currants, something called “sultanas”), nuts (probably almonds), various types of citrus zest, and an entire liquor cabinet. But this is where the agreement ends.

The most fundamental question in the War over Christmas Pudding is whether to have a Christmas pudding at all. This is a complicated question that is better contemplated by those who understand the labor a traditional Christmas pudding entails.

Next comes the question of store-bought or homemade. And finally come the countless questions of how to make one at home. Must you use suet (rendered kidney fat)? Must every family member give the pudding a stir and make a wish? Must it be shaped like a ball? Must you steam it in “the old copper,” as Fanny Cradock called it, or do you pop it in the microwave? Must you light it on fire in a dark room when you serve it? And could you possibly dare to make two and save one for next year?

At the end of the day, pudding is just pudding, except that it isn’t really “pudding,” because this writer is American and that word means something totally different Stateside. But there is something big here. Christmas pudding is an iconic dish, and there is no end in sight to the War over Christmas Pudding.

Christmas Pudding Videos for the Curious Reader:

In 1975 Fanny Cradock assumes you have “The Booklet” (the magical book that contains her Christmas pudding recipe) and are therefore ready to shape and steam the thing. Watch here.

In 1990, Delia Smith walks you through the whole process of making a Christmas pudding. Watch here.

In 2009, Delia Smith again walks you through the whole process and has notably reneged on her stance to always make a fresh Christmas pudding each year. Watch here.         

In 2021, Chef John of Food Wishes makes an Americanized Christmas pudding with dried apricots, dates, and bourbon whiskey. Watch here.

Leave a comment and let this humble American writer know your opinions on traditional English Christmas pudding!