An old tradition says that a true Christmas pudding must be made of exactly thirteen ingredients, to represent Christ and his twelve disciples. Later in history, a charm such as a silver sixpence, was added to make it fourteen ingredients (as 13 was considered unlucky) which is why the charm itself is good luck to whoever finds it in his or her portion of pud.
The Victorians added many more silver charms to the mixture, each with their own special meaning. Find a ring in your portion, and you'd find a sweetheart. Find an old thimble, and you'd remain an old maid!
Taken from The Truth About Christmas by Philip Ardagh.
7 comments:
Interesting information!
Nevertheless, I prefer the syrup pudding rather than the Christmas one.
It seems to me that there's a Provençal tradition called "Les 13 desserts de Noël" or something like that. I guess the Brits just put them all together and made Christmas pudding!
Thanks for your MANY recent comments!
very interesting Tinsie! Thanks for sharing this...Happy holidays!
Ok, you've got me interested. I'm looking up recipes today...or send me a good one if you have it.
@ Gkriniaris: Oh but syrup pudding isn't real Xmas pudding, is it? You've got to have the real thing ;-)
@ Betty: Μmmmm 13 desserts sound good too!
@ Palmtreefanatic: Happy Holidays!
@ Karen: You could try this one by Delia Smith, but be warned - it's quite a bit of work! Most people buy their puddings ready-made these days.
Looks delicious - my moth is watering!
Interesting history of the 13 ingredients - I've heard of 13 different kind of sweets from France too - fascinating.
Indeed, it's interesting how similar traditions crop up in different countries :-)
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