Bring Us the Figgy Pudding

I hadn't planned on any blog posts this week, but curiosity has gotten the best of me, and I thought I'd share some of my research here.

I've always been in love with the idea of celebrating Christmas with an old-fashioned Victorian-esque holiday dinner, complete with goose and figgy pudding. Okay, the goose I get. The figgy pudding, on the other hand isn't so common these days. The Internet is great for researching all of those great mysteries in life, such as "What is figgy pudding, anyway"? Well, read on as I unravel the history of this Victorian Christmas staple, courtesy of wisegeek.com:

"In actuality, figgy pudding is more of a cake than a pudding. There have been recipes for figgy pudding since the 15th century, although its popularity as a Christmas dessert probably reached its peak during the late 19th century. Several factors have significantly hampered the wholesale expansion of the figgy pudding industry, including an interminably long cooking time, an exotic ingredients list and a cringe-inducing dependency on saturated fats for texture.

There are numerous recipes for figgy pudding, from a traditional steamed version similar to modern bread pudding to a pastry-covered blend of figs, dates, fruits and spices. Nearly all figgy pudding recipes call for three or four hours of steaming. This is accomplished by placing a metal bowl with the figgy pudding mixture into a larger bowl partially filled with boiling water. The indirect heat generated by the boiling water cooks the figgy pudding evenly and slowly. This is equivalent to using a bain marie water bath for individual ramekins filled with batter.

The most traditional figgy pudding recipe is very similar to a carrot cake base blended with a custard. Chopped figs are added for flavoring and texture, along with chopped dates or apples when available. The spices in a figgy pudding are similar to carrot or spice cake - cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg are commonly used. Heavy cream, eggs, sugar and milk help to create the custard. For additional flavoring, many traditional figgy pudding recipes also call for liqueurs such as cognac or rum. Non-alcoholic extracts can also be used.

Some figgy pudding recipes call for a loaf of fig-infused bread to be crumbled into the mixture, while others suggest standard breadcrumbs. As if this weren't enough, the most faithful recipes also call for the addition of an animal fat called suet. Suet is a form of fat found near an animal's kidneys. Pure butter and shortening can be substituted if suet is not available locally. All of these ingredients are mixed together in a metal bowl or pudding mold and placed in a larger pot for steaming over a fire.

Only three or four short hours later, those house-squatting carolers demanding their figgy pudding can finally be appeased. Steaming was a very popular cooking method before the days of regulated heating. Even if the source of the heat were inconsistent, the food itself would still cook fairly evenly. Even so, the unveiling of a figgy pudding was often a defining moment for the cook. The dessert would be either a solid success or a soggy mess. Charles Dickens hints at this figgy pudding moment-of-truth during the Cratchit's dinner in his novel, A Christmas Carol."

So the mystery of figgy pudding is no longer a mystery for me. There is one other somewhat-related Victorian Chirstmas tidbit I like to share. Like the song that demands figgy pudding, the Christmas goose isn't without mention in an older, less popular song for Christmas. I always envisioned street carolors in Victorian dress somewhere in London singing merrily with their stiff accents:

"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.

Please put a penny in the old mans hat.

If you haven't got a penny, a hay-penny will do.

If you haven't got a hay-penny, then God Bless You!"

And for anyone who doesn't know, a hay-penny is a half a penny. This truly is an old song, for who pays for anything with pennies any more, much less half of one!