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..:: Pudim de Natal ::.. |
| History of the Christmas Pudding |
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If you ask anyone in Britain who enjoys a traditional Christmas what they will be eating this Christmas Day, most would say roast turkey, followed by Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. I know this because it's what we have every year and I love it. When my wife, who is American, had her first Christmas dinner with my family several years ago, I was surprised when she said she had never had Christmas pudding before. Up until then I wrongly believed everyone ate it at Christmas. So for all those British - and my American friends - let's look at the traditions of the Christmas pudding. I have also included a recipe so that this year you can all try it.
According to Matthew Walker, Britain's largest producer of Christmas puddings and the Wickham Primary School, the Christmas pudding originated as a porridge in the 14th century. It was made of beef, mutton, raisins, currants, prunes, wine, and mixed spices. It was eaten as a fasting dish before the Christmas celebrations began. In the 16th century, it became known as plum pudding when spirits and dried fruit were added along with eggs to thicken it. The meat ingredients had also been removed. It was banned by the Puritans in 1664, but was reintroduced by George I in 1714 after he had tried it and thought it was delicious. A king certainly can't be wrong!
However, it was the Victorians who reinvented the tradition of the Christmas pudding, and it is them we have to thank for the Christmas tradition we know today. There are a range of customs and traditions that surround the Christmas pudding. In my family, we add silver coins to the pudding for luck, and we all have a stir of the pudding and make a wish. Wickham Primary School talk of these traditions on their web site and mention that traditionally those who find the coins are supposed to get the luck, and if they made a wish, their wishes will come true. Other traditions include adding gold rings to the mix to indicate the finder will get married in the coming year, or thimbles were added to indicate the finder would remain a spinster. Such traditions have largely been eliminated since such depressing discoveries tend to take away from the joy and good cheer Christmas is supposed to be all about.
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The recipe below was given to me by my mother. It is her traditional pudding recipe that my family enjoys every year, so you are all really blessed.
Traditional Christmas Pudding Recipe
5 oz wholewheat breadcrumbs
4 oz plain flour
4 oz sultanas
4 oz seedless raisins
5 oz currants
4 oz shredded suet (Not the stuff our American cousins put out for the birds!)
2 ½ oz mixed peel
2 ½ oz glacé cherries (glazed cherries)
4 oz demerara sugar (a loosely granulated brown sugar)
1 cooking apple peeled, chopped, and grated
1 ½ oz blanched almonds chopped
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp black treacle (molasses)
2 beaten eggs
7 fl oz brown ale
2 fl oz brandy
Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together.
NOTE: Traditionally in Britain, silver sixpences were added to the mix, and if you found one in your piece of pudding on Christmas Day it was supposed to give you luck. Nowadays my mother adds ten pence pieces (Americans could use quarters). If you do decide to follow this tradition, ensure you warn people what to expect as you wouldn't want anyone to accidentally swallow a coin! In our family, my mother now puts the coins in the desert bowls before serving so everyone has a bit of luck, and so we can all see the coins so none of us swallow them.
Take a large (2 pint) oven proof bowl and grease it, and then add all the mixed ingredients. Using a spatula or the back of a large spoon level off the mixture so that you have an even surface. Grease a piece of greaseproof paper and cover the bowl, and then with a piece of greased and pleated tin (aluminum) foil (to allow for expansion) place it over the greaseproof paper. Secure the layers to the bowl with a piece of string. Steam the pudding for six hours and then let it cool. The pudding must then be stored in a damp free place. To serve on Christmas Day, steam it again for three hours and then invert onto serving plate. For added excitement, douse the pudding with a little extra brandy and set alight (although this is not essential). The flames look impressive but are harmless as long as you do not add too much brandy, and will go out when the brandy is burnt off. This is a British tradition, but must be done sensibly and with caution. It does impress your guests, especially if they have never seen it before. Slice the pudding and serve in desert bowls with ice cream or more traditionally, brandy butter or warm brandy sauce.
You can buy the brandy butter and the brandy sauce from all good supermarkets, but if you feel like making them here are the recipes.
Brandy Butter (serves 12)
4 oz butter
4 oz dark brown sugar
grated rind of one orange
8 tbsp of rum or brandy
Blend the butter, sugar, and orange peel together until light and fluffy. Add the alcohol slowly, beating well until mixed together (add too quickly and the mixture will curdle). Chill butter until ready to serve.
Brandy Sauce (serves 12)
1 ½ oz butter
1 ½ oz plain flour
1 pint of milk
1 ½ oz caster sugar (fine white sugar)
½ pint of single cream (coffee cream or half and half)
6 tablespoons of rum or brandy
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour to form a roux and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir constantly to ensure it doesn't burn. Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring all the time and letting the sauce thicken. Turn the heat down and keep stirring several minutes longer. Slowly add the sugar, cream and brandy and stir. Cook gently for several more minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour into a serving container, serve immediately with the Christmas pudding.
References
Sauce recipes
Readers Digest The Cook's ScrapBook. London: Readers Digest. 1995.
If you have never had Christmas pudding, you will not believe how good it tastes. For me, Christmas pudding is at the heart of a traditional Christmas. It really wouldn't be the same without it. Try it, you won't be disappointed!
Enviado à mailing por Lu Bertini em 01-06-2003
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