Foods Mentioned in Christmas Songs That You've Probably Never Eaten

Today, we start a new recurring feature in TWIT, titled "Foods Mentioned In Christmas Songs That You've Probably Never Eaten."  We have a half dozen of these to educate you, faithful readers, about.


Today's is the infamous Figgy Pudding

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer

Surprise! Figgy pudding neither resembles the gelatin vanilla or chocolate pudding you're used to, nor does it contain real figs.  It's also known as "Christmas Pudding" or "Plum Pudding"—but there are no plums, either. According to experts,  "The 'plum' was a pre-Victorian generic term for any type of dried fruit, but most specifically, raisins." It's also called a pudding in the British sense (i.e. it's a dessert), not in the American sense that's known as gelatin. Specifically, figgy pudding is a steamed cake made with 13 ingredients (for Christ and the 12 apostles)—including raisins, currants, suet (raw beef or mutton fat), and lots and lots of brandy. It was traditionally made weeks ahead of Christmas as the alcohol would essential act as a preservative and help draw out more flavors.