7. Christmas Pudding
From munching on penguins we merrily skip to munching on pudding, which to most of you wont be so crazy. However, this British tradition is full of superstition. Christmas pudding, also known as plum pudding or plum duff, is traditionally made five weeks before Christmas and is consumed on the 25th of December as part of a gut busting dinner. It originates from medieval times, imposed on us by the Roman Catholics. It used to contain poultry, pheasant, partridge and rabbit and later sugar, apples and raisins were added to it. In the 14th century it became more like what we eat today with suet and rum. So whats the big deal? Well there are some additional rules to go along with the dish. The pudding must be prepared with thirteen ingredients to represent Christ and the twelve apostles. A spring of holly has to be added to the top to signify Jesuss Crown of Thorns. The pudding is often flamed before eating which alludes to Christs passion but also just looks really cool. Before all the theatrics every family member must give the cake mixture a stir from east to west to honour the Magi (the three wise men) and their journey in that direction: (good luck getting your 1 year old cousin to do that). The Puritans banned the pudding in the 1660s because the ingredients were too lavish and rich and they believed the superstitious side was too pagan. Luckily the Victorians came and made the pudding fashionable around 1740 when the first reported recipe was published. The Victorians were very much about the family unity which to them was just as important as worshipping Jesus Christ. Still not convinced that this counts as a weird tradition? Well theres more. Little trinkets are added to the pudding that will tell you your fortune (be careful your grandma doesnt choke). After each family has had a stir the matriarch will secretly drop a thimble for sisterhood, a ring for marriage, a small silver coin for wealth, a mini horse shoe for good luck and an anchor for safe harbour this is starting to sound like a monopoly game. Whatever you find in your slice of pudding is what will define your coming year. Because of the ingredients that go in to a Christmas puddings the cake will keep for a very long time and will often be consumed during a celebration later on in the year like Easter. It is also not uncommon to make each years pudding the previous year, which doesnt sound too appetizing but at least were not eating birds wrapped in dead seal. The largest pudding ever made weighed 7,231(3279.93 kg) and was made in Augthon, Lancashire on 11th of July, 1992. Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal had a crack at a giant pud himself and you can see the results below:
