You've been singing about it since you were a child but did you ever stop and ask "What is it?"
In Great Britain, Christmas dinner is never complete without a Christmas pudding. The very first recipes can be traced back to the middle ages but it did not become a mainstay in British households until the Victorian era. The pudding is sometimes called Plum Pudding because it contains prunes along with nuts and sometimes meat. But it may also contain figs, which is where the name Figgy Pudding comes from.
Christmas puddings may be eaten with brandy or rum butter while some recipes call for the brandy to be mixed right into the preparation. Others may choose to serve Christmas pudding by dousing it with brandy and setting it alight. But nearly all recipes call for preparing ahead, since Christmas puddings must be stored in a cool, dry place for several weeks before serving.
