Plum Pudding

No—traditional plum pudding contains no actual plums. The name comes from the pre-Victorian English usage of 'plum' to refer to any dried fruit, and the pudding is made with raisins, currants, sultanas, and candied peel along with suet, flour, and spices.

Plum pudding became firmly tied to Christmas dinner in Victorian England, a tradition popularized in part by Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843), which vividly describes the pudding's arrival at the Cratchit family table. By the mid-19th century it had become the definitive British Christmas dessert.

After being steamed for several hours, the pudding is reheated on Christmas Day, turned out onto a plate, and traditionally served flaming after being doused with warmed brandy. It is accompanied by brandy butter (hard sauce), custard, or cream.

Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent, is the traditional day for families to prepare the Christmas pudding together, with each member taking a turn stirring the mixture from east to west to echo the journey of the Magi. Each person makes a wish while stirring, and coins or small tokens are sometimes hidden in the mixture for good fortune.