Today we will be exploring our third, Christmas topic, my favourite, Christmas food. So let’s get started...
Many countries have their own special ways of celebrating Christmas, all usually concerning special types of food. As the world globalises we have begun to create new traditions and to share old ones. Nevertheless, there are a few special dishes that will almost certainly remain forever British. There are many, but we will be only exploring three today.
Ok so the first is Figgy Pudding F-I-G-G-Y P-U-D-D-I-N-G or also known as christmas pudding which is a dessert often served after a large Christmas meal. It is made months or sometimes a year in advance of serving. It contains fruit, alcohol and suet.
Today’s Christmas pudding is derived from "frumenty" created in medieval England in the 14th Century. It was a porridge-like mixture of beef, mutton, dried fruits, wines and spices; no surprise it is not so popular today.
Nowadays the desert is usually served with a decorative sprig of holly on the top of the pudding as a reminder of Jesus' Crown of Thorns that he wore when he was killed. Brandy or another alcoholic drink is poured over the pudding and set alight at the table creating a beautiful fire.
Historically this is said to represent Jesus' love and power. However even non religious brits are known to follow this serving tradition.
Ok so we brits have many other special deserts, another are mince pies M-I-N-C-E P-I-E-S. A mince pie is a small British fruit-based sweet pie traditionally served during the Christmas season. Its ingredients are traceable to the 13th century, when returning European crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits and spices.
Now it’s a popular treat during Christmas. Historically they contained actual meat but nowadays we only use sweet ingredients- I promise you a cup of mulled wine, which is warm spiced wine and a mince pie and is an absolutely delicious Christmas tradition.
The last of the special Christmas dishes I want to tell you about are pigs in blankets, my absolute favorite! And yes their name describes them perfectly, they contain pork! Both the USA and the UK have them, both with different interpretations. In the USA , pigs in blankets are small sausages wrapped in croissant rolls. In the UK however, the ‘blanket’ is bacon and they are the perfect match with a roast turkey and roasted potatoes.
So have you tried any of these traditional foods? Or are you planning on doing so soon? Let us know! That's our episode of the day, remember to tune into our final Christmas episode on Wednesday, where we will be exploring Christmas day traditions.
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Let’s catch up on Christmas day! This Wednesday. Remember to tune in for our very merry episode! Become a supporter of this podcast:
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