|
The
traditionnal English Christmas dinner
- A
traditional English Christmas dinner
consists of
- roast
turkey and stuffing,
roast potatoes and vegetables,
bread sauce, cranberry sauce and gravy,
followed by Christmas pudding with brandy butter.
|
In the Past
In Medieval England,
peacocks (
paons) and
swans (cignes)
were eaten
only by the rich
at Christmas but boar's head was the main course.
In the 18th century,
turkey
along with beef, slowly replaced the boar's head as most people's Christmas meal
in Britain.
By Victorian times, people were usually
eating either turkey
or goose
at Christmas.
A turkey tradition
-
A
Christmas tradition involving the turkey is to pull its
wishbone.
-
This is one of
the bones of the turkey which is shaped like the letter
'Y'.
-
-
Two people will
each hold an end and pull.
-
The person left with the larger piece of the bone
makes a wish.
|
|
The Christmas Pudding
-
The
Christmas pudding known today began life as Christmas porridge called
Frumenty,
a dish made of wheat or corn boiled up in
milk.
-
-
As time went on, other
ingredients, such as dried plums or prunes, eggs, and lumps of meat were added
to make it more interesting.
-
When cooked, it was poured into a dish.
-
-
This
pudding was called plum pudding.
-
-
The name 'plum pudding' continued to be used
even when people used raisins, currants, and sultanas instead of prunes.
|
-
Today, a
Christmas pudding is a brown pudding with raisins, nuts and cherries.
-
-
It is
served with custard or brandy butter.
-
Often brandy is poured over the pudding,
which is then set a light as it is carried to the table.
-
The lights are turned
off so people can see the flames.
-
-
Traditionally silver coins were hidden in it.
-
-
A silver coin brought good fortune
to whomever was lucky enough to find it when the pudding was cut.
-
-
The
traditional time for making a Christmas pudding at the beginning of advent.
-
-
A proper Christmas pudding is always stirred from East to West in honour of the
three Wise Men and traditionally made with
13 ingredients to represent
Christ
and His Disciples.
-
-
Every
member of the family must give the pudding a stir and make a secret wish.
|
|
