Growing up in the USA, Christmas pudding was not a common holiday tradition for most people. In our family, having a Christmas pudding was a special treat, as it would have to be specially ordered or made at home, which often led to a forgotten pudding that had to be eaten later in the year (did someone say Easter pudding?). Moving to London was a complete change when it came to including Christmas pudding in our Christmas celebrations. After all, the shops are filled with so many options for enjoying the traditional treat. However, nothing is quite like making your own Hipster friendly Chocolate Cherry Christmas pudding.
So what is a Christmas pudding after all?
A traditional Christmas pudding is a steamed pudding consisting of suet, dried fruit, and alcohol. The tradition of having a pudding in some form at Christmas dates back to the 14th Century, and the form in which we recognise it today comes from around the 1650’s and more prevalently from 1714 when the Christmas pudding was re-established as part of the holiday, after a short hiatus under the puritans.
Brief history of stir up Sunday
Having grown up knowing Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, or more likely the Muppet take on the classic tale, most Americans know the tradition of including a sprig of holly and lighting the pudding prior to serving. However, one tradition associated with the Christmas pudding that is often lost in the USA is Stir-up Sunday. The last Sunday before Advent (the church version, not the chocolate calendar version) has historically been the day marked for making the Christmas pudding. The Victorians turned this day into a family event in which each member takes a turn stirring the pudding while making a wish. For more on the traditions surrounding the British Christmas pudding we recommend heading over to Historic UK.
Hipster twist on a tradition
Although we generally like the traditional Christmas pudding here in the hipster house, it can feel a bit heavy, old fashioned, and tends to over do it on the raisins. We were eager to make our own version with a more modern twist. There are so many different versions of puddings out there but none of them felt completely us, and really when it comes to holiday traditions, the key is making them feel personal and drawing a connection that will last from year to year.
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